Second Chance
by washurocket
Summary: TRoS SPOILERS! . . . this is my theory of what happens after TRoS. At the end, we don't see Ben Solo's force ghost, nor does he call out to Rey like the other force ghosts. What if he isn't dead and was given a second chance? Trying my best to follow canon. Story coming to a close soon! Have a few more chapters left.
1. Chapter 1: Awakening

Ben slowly opened his eyes. He knew exactly where he was but had no recollection of how he got here. The fogginess in his head was slowly residing but still ever present. He could remember returning to Exegol, because he knew Rey had found the hidden planet of the Sith. He had to reach her, as she didn't know the fatal dangers that were awaiting her arrival. But why could he remember holding her lifeless body? Did he fail?

He glanced around the room until his eyes met the scratches on the wall. There were hundreds of them, desperately etched over and over again into the metal as she clung on to a fleeting hope that her parents would return to her. Every day she had suffered, knowing the truth but too terrified to accept it. Her presence and her pain engulfed him.

More of the fogginess in his head resided as new memories emerged. He gave up the last bit of strength he had to give her life back. He could still feel her hand gently squeeze his as she returned, the comforting relief of her eyes and her smile as she called out his name, and her hand gently touching his cheek as she pressed her lips firmly against his.

Then everything went black.

He knew he should have been dead, but he wasn't. Why? How?

"You're finally awake," said a familiar voice behind him. He knew that voice and for the past several years had loathed it. But now, he could feel his anger slowly lift away as he turned to see the ghost of his uncle standing a few feet away. "Hey there, kid."

"What's going on? Why am I here? Why am I… am I ali…" Luke held up a ghostly hand and Ben fell silent.

"I know you have a lot of questions, which is why I am here. I told you that if you struck me down, I'd be with you forever."

"But I didn't strike you down."

"Not directly, but I did exhaust the last bit of my energy to reach to you, which I knew would be my demise."

"So you knew I would try to kill you."

Luke shrugged. "I had a feeling." Ben looked away and stared blankly at the floor in front of him. His uncle still had no faith. What was the point then?

"I should have died. After all that I've done, and after Rey…" His voice trailed off. He couldn't say the words out loud. He didn't deserve any of Rey's compassion, especially that.

"Kissed you?" Ben returned his gaze to his uncle in surprise. "Yeah, I know. And you did die."

"Then I am dead."

"No," Luke chuckled. "Only a few Jedi can become a force ghost, as Yoda would call it. Your case is a bit… unique. The Jedi of the past have given you a second chance at life. Something I would have wished for my father, but that's neither here nor now."

"Why would they do that? They must have known all of the terrible things I have done." Luke raised up his hand again. Even in ghost form, Ben knew that look all too well. It was the look of exasperation when he was asking more questions than listening for the answers.

"Yes, we know. But we also know that your powers haven't changed; they are as strong as ever. However, now that you have returned back to the light, it can be channeled into a less… destructive direction. Use this opportunity to right your wrongs, to save lives instead of destroy them."

Ben nodded. "What about Rey?"

"Of all the places in the galaxy, why do you think you are here, specifically?" Luke gave a little smile. "I'm not going to lie, you have a difficult journey ahead of you. Take this second chance. I know you can do good."

"You believe that I can be good?"

"You wouldn't be here if I didn't. See you around, kid."

As soon as Luke's ghost disappeared, a vertically challenged woman stepped into view, her arms crossed and a scowl plastered on her face.

"You're awake. Good. Now we can finally get paid and get out of this wasteland."

Ben was just starting to absorb the fact that he was indeed alive, that he just saw the ghost of his uncle, and he was given a second chance at…. well, pretty much everything. He stared blankly at the mystery woman.

"Who are you?"

"None of your concern," she responded, curtly. "Just consider me one of your saviors. You would have been dead if we didn't come across your naked body in the desert." Ben looked down and realized his black attire had been replaced by an unpleasant old tan robe. Not at all his style, but it was better than nothing. Awkward…

"Why did you save me? I can't pay you, I have nothing."

The woman gave a menacing grin. "Ah, but you do. As soon as you are better, you can work as a scavenger for Unkar Plutt. He lost his best scavenger a couple of years ago and hasn't been able to find a suitable replacement. We were lucky to find you. He promised me and my crew a nice amount of credits, but only if you didn't die. A dead man isn't worth anything, at least, not in your case."

"And if I choose not to?"

The woman shrugged. "Then you'll die. There are no ships, no towns nearby. Unkar pays in rations, so if you don't work, you don't eat. It's that simple. We get paid no matter what, so it doesn't matter to me what you do."

Ben paused. "You don't know who I am, do you?"

"Should I care?" She laughed. "I don't know where you came from, but good luck on your new life, not that it concerns me anymore." She gave a little backwards wave as she left. Digested

Ben laid back down on the bed as he assimilated everything that just happened. The woman didn't recognize him; this would be extremely helpful. With this new start on life, he had to take a new path than the dark one he had been on before. For starters, that meant repaying his debts for still being alive and given this opportunity to begin with, even if his saviors were scum. He certainly wasn't going to stay on Jakku forever. Kylo Ren destroyed so many lives, and even though the debt would be impossible to fulfill in his life time, he had to try to do everything he could to prove to the Jedi of the past, Rey, and himself that he was a different person. He was Ben Solo.

He had to reach Rey.


	2. Chapter 2: The Calling

Rey awoke with a start. Since defeating the Sith, she would have thought her mind could finally rest easily. Instead, her dreams had been plagued of her encounters with Kylo Ren and alternate timelines where the Sith had won. She was constantly exhausted and didn't know how to make the nightmares stop. This time, though, instead of awaking in a nervous sweat and being filled with dread, and nausea from the smell of Finn and Rose's attempts at cooking, she felt comfort and an overwhelming sense of relief. He was alive.

Her mind racing with a thousand thoughts, she jumped down from her cot and followed the pungent odor of what she assumed to be some type of eggs.

"Good morning, Master Rey!" C-3PO greeted her as she sat down in one of the lounge seats. "Master Finn and Master Rose are almost done with cooking breakfast. I don't think it's going well, from the sounds of it."

"I can tell by the smell."

"I can't smell."

"Consider yourself lucky," she muttered. She loved her friends dearly, but just the smell of their cooking could kill a wampa.

"Oh you're up. I thought I heard something," said Rose, as she came into the room with plates and forks. "We're almost done with breakfast. We found a bunch of abandoned Porg eggs so thought we'd try something simple and make scrambled eggs."

"How old were the eggs?"

"Not sure. R2 had a recipe for them, but we had to improvise."

"Done!" said Finn as he came into the room with R2D2 beeping behind him. He placed a plate heaping with greenish looking eggs onto the table. "Hopefully they taste better than they look."

"Hopefully…" Rey put a spoonful of the eggs on her plate. She took a fork and put the jiggling blobs into her mouth. Oh yes, they tasted bad, worse than she thought. But they were still edible. She couldn't complain as she knew they were lucky to have the food that they did.

After the fall of the First and Final Orders, most members of the Resistance returned to their families or their home planets. There was much work to be done. The First Order had a heavy presence on several planets throughout the galaxy, and with the order finally gone, it left behind disorder. There were governments completely gone or in utter disarray. No work met freeing many from First Order slavery, but it also forced them to find new work which wasn't necessarily plentiful. Recovery would take many, many years, and unfortunately, there were some places that would never recover from the damage the First Order inflicted on them.

Those who had nowhere to call home stayed behind at the Resistance's last base, trying to survive and figure out what to do next. Poe and BB8 were constantly on the go, as they took odd jobs with the Black Squadron and used their hard earned credits to purchase food and other supplies. Rey was aching to join him on their adventures, hoping it would clear her mind from the nightmares, but everyone else was insistent that she stayed on Ajan Kloss until she had fully recovered. Plus, she and Rose had to repair the few ships they still had, work that kept her brain occupied but was now almost done.

"Yup, these are terrible," said Rose, wrinkling her nose.

"Rey, you're smiling," said Finn, as he dug into his eggs. "Did you actually sleep well?"

"No, the nightmares haven't gotten any better, but…" Finn slammed down his fork.

"Why is it that the First Order is gone, and yet they're still here, torturing us?"

"Well, the thing is, I…"

"It's going to take awhile to move on, we've talked about this," Rose said calmly. "We have to be supportive for Rey," she tried whispering, but Rey's ears were still quite functional.

"As much as I appreciate everything you guys have done to help me, I…"

"Master Rey did an excellent job defeating the Sith. It's a shame that she can't get some descent rest," said C-3PO.

"It's all Kylo Ren's fault." Finn clenched his fists as Rose backed away. "What he did to her, getting in her head like that. I'm glad he's dead."

"I'm right here!" Rey shouted as she stood up from the table. "This is my problem, not yours." She slammed down her fork. "I'm not hungry." Storming out of the room, she returned to her bunk room, the metal door clanking shut behind her. Everyone had been dealing with the aftermath of the Final Order in their own way. She knew that they didn't mean it, but it was impossible for them to understand what she went through. It was more than just Kylo Ren breaking into her mind. The force had a forged a connection between them, no matter the distance, and it was terrifying never knowing when he would reach out to her. On top of that, her grandfather wasn't just on the dark side, he WAS the dark side. And she would have taken his place if Ben hadn't been nearby…

She flopped onto her cot and buried her face on the pillow taking in slow, deep breaths.

Then everything went silent.

Rey slowly lifted her head to see to see a translucent version of Ben on the other side of the room. She blinked her eyes to verify she wasn't seeing things. Deep down inside, she knew when his body disappeared on Exegol that he wasn't really dead. His presence still lingered, faint but apparent. As time had passed, she couldn't sense him anymore and had figured her imagination had been clinging on to false hope. Again with the false hope, a trick she couldn't seem to stop herself from falling for. But now, perhaps it wasn't her imagination after all?

"Ben?" The tears began welling up in her eyes as he nodded. "You're alive?"

"Yes." She took her hand and gently brushed the tears from her cheek. The relief and joy she had felt that morning had been confirmed. She got off her cot and slowly walked towards him. Raising her right hand she reached for his, but they passed through each other.

"I'm still recovering. I can't do this for long, but I wanted to see you."

"Where are you?"

"Jakku. I'm working for Unkar Plutt, apparently."

"Unkar Plutt," Rey repeated. Her heart was beating rapidly beneath her chest as she could feel the excitement and nervousness seize her body. "I'll come for you."

"Rey?" The door opened and Rose came in. "Are you ok? Who were you talking to?" Rey turned away from the empty spot where Ben had been and glanced up at Rose, who was looking concerned. The tears were in full force now as they flooded her cheeks. She didn't care if Rose saw her.

"An old friend that I thought was dead." She paused, grasping as what had just happened. "He's alive!"


	3. Chapter 3: Scavenger

The sun had only barely risen over Jakku's hot sands as Ben made his way to Niima Outpost. He had gotten little sleep during the night as his mind refused to shut down and stay focused, persistently jumping from one thought to another. He was alive. He was going to start his life from scratch as a scavenger. His connection with the force was weaker than he had ever remembered, but he was still able to reach Rey. And she was coming for him. Rey...

Though her figure was blurry, she seemed happy and relieved to know he was alive. She wouldn't be coming for him if she wasn't… would she? Her reaction when she'd see him in person was the thought that tormented him the most. Who would she see, Kylo Ren or Ben Solo?

There were a few early risers cleaning off their treasures from previous scavenging adventures. Unkar Plutt was rolling up the canvass covers to his booth as Ben approached him. He noticed that one of Unkar's arms had been replaced with a makeshift one, composed of assorted metal scraps.

"You're early," he grumbled without turning around.

"I couldn't sleep."

Unkar grunted. "Doesn't surprise me. Give me a moment." He went to the back of the booth and Ben could hear him shuffling around. He emerged with an old rusty shovel. "You're going to Tuanul Village." He roughly handed Ben the shovel. "It's been scavenged before since Kylo Ren and the First Order destroyed it, but there are still plenty of valuables there that have been covered by the sand storms. Find what you can and bring it back here. You can use the speeder over there." He pointed to a red clunky looking speeder just outside of the outpost's canopy. It was one-of-a-kind, built using scrap parts similar to Unkar's arm. Ben could immediately sense Rey's presence and knew it had been hers. "There's enough fuel to get there and back, so I don't recommend wandering off or taking any short cuts."

"How long will it take to get there?"

"About an hour there and an hour back. You'll get reimbursed in rations depending on the value of what you give to me." Ben gave a small nod as he turned towards the speeder. He couldn't help thinking to himself that this was grunt work, far beneath someone like him. He was only just recently a Supreme Leader! Taking a deep breath, he reminded himself that it was Kylo Ren who was the Supreme Leader, not Ben. This was something he had to start anew. Plus, it would give him the opportunity to experience a taste of Rey's former life. One of many things he owed to her.

Ben got on the speeder and took off towards the remains of Tuanul Village.


	4. Chapter 4: It's a Force Thing

"How do you know your friend's alive? Is this a force thing?" Rose asked excitedly, as she followed Rey out of the room.

"Yes, it's a force thing. Finn?"

Finn popped out from the Storage Bay. "What is it, Rey?"

"I need to borrow the Corellian corvette. I have to go to Jakku."

"Jakku?" Finn rolled his eyes. "Why?"

"I shouldn't be gone long. I just need to find a…friend." Rey had feared how Finn would react if he knew the whole truth of her force connection with Kylo Ren, so she had kept it to herself. She knew he'd eventually find out Ben was alive but wanted to push the inevitable back as far as possible.

"What friend?" Finn asked, suspiciously. "If it's your parents…"

Rey groaned irritably. "I know my parents are dead, so it's not them." Another fact she had conveniently left out was her relationship with Palpatine. That was one she'd take to her grave. "Like I said, it's an old friend. Once I find him, I'll return the ship. We'll figure out what to do from there." Rey paused as she gathered her thoughts, choosing her next words carefully. "Though I'm thinking it would be a good idea if we leave Ajan Kloss after we return the ship."

"By 'we' do you mean all of us, or just you and your… 'friend?'"

"Probably just me and my friend."

"Rey, what is going on?" Finn was predictably annoyed and frustrated, and Rey couldn't blame him. "I don't understand where any of this is coming from, and you still haven't told us anything about this friend of yours. Is he another scavenger? Why are you suddenly looking for him now? Is this some sort of force… thing?"

Rey took a deep breath, letting her answers spill out. "He's not another scavenger, yes it's a force thing, I thought he was dead and only just found out he's alive. He's had a very… rough past. I'm just afraid you won't get along.

Finn shook his head. "Rey, you got it all wrong. We are in this together. All of us. You, Rose, Poe, Chewie and me."

"I noticed you forgot to mention me," interrupted C-3PO. Finn ignored him and continued. "I know you've been keeping secrets from us for awhile, even before the fall of the Final Order. Why, Rey? We can't help you if you aren't being honest with us."

"We just want to help, Rey," Rose chimed in.

Rey frowned. This conversation wasn't going well. At all. "The truth is… some of the things I've witnessed, that I've gone through… it's just, saying them out loud makes them more real. I'm worried how you'd handle it, or if you'd be able to look at me the same again. There's just so much, Finn…Rose… you'll find out soon, but for now I need you to trust me."

Finn let out an exasperated sigh. "I know you've been through a lot, and I want to believe in you, Rey, I really do. But if you can't trust me and Rose with handling the truth, we can't trust you taking one of our few ships and returning it for this secret friend of yours. We're supposed to be a team."

"I'll go with her."

"Rose?"

"It'd give Rey and I some time to get to know each other better, now that we're not fighting for the Resistance. Plus, I want to meet Rey's mysterious stranger." Rey always had an inkling that Rose was slightly jealous over her relationship with Finn. Perhaps this journey would confirm to her that Rey and Finn were just friends. On top of that, she was dreadfully nervous on seeing Ben again and how she'd react. It'd be nice if there was a friend by her side.

"Fine," Finn said, folding his arms. "But take this thing with you, too." He nodded towards C-3PO.

"Excuse me?" piped the droid.

"Mostly because he gets on my nerves," Finn muttered to Rose.

"I heard that."

"Thanks, Finn." Rey gave him a hug, and Finn reluctantly returned the gesture.

"Be safe," he said. "And try to stay out of trouble."

"We will. We shouldn't be gone too long. Come on, C-3PO."

"And don't scratch the ship, or Poe will kill you!"

"Oh dear. Another adventure where I will probably be turned into scrap metal."

Rose and Rey rolled their eyes and giggled as they made their way off the Falcon, with C-3PO trailing behind.


	5. Chapter 5: Reunion

Ben parked the speeder just outside of the outpost. The trip to Tuanul Village had been harder than he had imagined. The few treasures he was able to recover wouldn't have been available if he hadn't asked for the execution of their owners. The pang of guilt he felt combined with the exhaustion of using the force to dig through the sands, and the heat intensifying throughout the day, had worn him out.

He took his bag and plopped it in front of Unkar Plutt.

"Let's see what you have," Unkar grumbled. He opened the sack and extracted the items, observing each one briefly before setting it aside.

"Hmm… I would say this is equivalent to a quarter portion." He pulled out a container of dehydrated food from underneath the booth and pushed it towards Ben.

Though he felt guilty, he was hoping for at least a full portion. He couldn't remember the last time he had eaten and was starting to feel delirious. Is this what Rey had to deal with every day? He took a deep breath. "I believe the ring there is made from Serranite. I know it has a high price on the black market."

Unker Plutt was not one who could be persuaded. "You still owe me for the expenses regarding your recovery. A quarter portion is all you get. If you can prove your worth, your compensation will improve."

Ben nodded and took the food. It was his penance and he had to accept it. Putting himself in Rey's shoes for that brief moment was an eye-opener on how lucky his whole life had been, even before he joined the dark side.

As he made his way back towards Rey's old residence, he saw that a ship had recently landed in the sands nearby. The hatch to the ship opened, and a woman he did not recognize stepped off. She appeared to be talking to someone behind her; he knew it was Rey before she even came into view. Suddenly, he didn't feel hungry anymore. The girls were chatting, though he couldn't make out anything they were saying. Then Rey turned and her eyes met with his. He froze, unsure of what to do. A smile instinctively transpired on his face just at the sight of her.

Her face mirrored his.

"Ben!"

He could feel his heart beating rapidly as she ran towards him. His legs unfroze as he took a few steps towards her. She didn't hesitate at all as she embraced him, wrapping her arms tightly around his back. "Ben!"

He returned the gesture, holding her closely. The emotions of joy and relief engulfed him. She was here, physically here. Rey! Rey... He had never felt human compassion like this before. He didn't want to let her go, afraid that he would lose her again. Judging by her grip and the tears falling onto the back of his neck, he guessed she felt the same.

"Rey!" interrupted a loud voice. She released him from her grasp as Unkar Plutt loomed over them, looking as surly as ever.

"You owe me a ship."

"That ship wasn't yours to begin with. It was stollen."

"I won it fair and square. I want it back."

"It belongs to the Resistance now."

"Have you not heard? The war is over. The First Order has fallen. The Resistance is no more. I want my ship!"

"I know you've under-compensated me for years. I brought you many valuable items, but you kept my portions low to force me to keep scavenging. How many credits did you profit from my work? I would say the Millennium Falcon makes us more than even." Unkar grunted as he looked at Ben.

"Then he'll take your place. His debt has not been paid."

"He's coming with me."

"The ship or the boy. You can't have both."

"Actually, I can." Rey shifted and brushed her hand slightly over Luke's lightsaber so Unkar could see it.

"I've invested a lot of money in him."

"And again, how much have you made over the years on my scavenging? I know my parents asked you to keep me safe. I don't think this is what they meant."

Unkar looked like he was about to argue, but when he looked at Ben again, his eyes got wide.

"What is your name again?" he asked.

"Ben."

"Ben," Unkar repeated. Ben could tell he was starting to piece things together. "You know the original owner of this ship."

Ben nodded, "Yes, I do."

"I heard he was killed at the hands of his son." Rey twitched as she moved slightly away from him. Ben could feel his heart sink. If he could go back in time, of all the things he wished he could change, this was on the top on his list. And Rey witnessed him commit this unforgivable crime.

"Yes."

"Hmm…" Unkar scratched his chin as he turned to Rey. "Fine. You can keep the ship and the boy, but on one condition."

"What is it?"

"That you never return to Jakku."

"That we can agree on," said Rey.


	6. Chapter 6: A Favor

Unkar Plutt folded his thick arms, scowling. This was obviously not the outcome he wanted.

"That goes for both of you," he added.

"You have our word," said Rey. She assumed after seeing her lightsaber, Unkar must have also pieced together the true identity of his new scavenger and was just smart enough to know that he didn't want to mess with either of them. Rey and Ben turned away from the repulsive brute as they made their way to the corvette, where Rose was watching the scene from afar.

"Before we go, I need to get something. I'll be right back." Rey took off towards the broken-down AT-AT.

It was surreal returning to her old domicile. It felt like she had never left, never rescued BB-8, never got involved with the Resistance, never became a primary target of the First Order, never discovered her connection with the force. She was simply Rey, a scavenger trying to get by day by day, waiting for her parents to return to save her.

She brushed her hands against the scratches on the wall. It made her feel like a silly child, dreaming of a fantasy that could never become a reality. Deep down, she knew the truth; they were never coming back.

Sitting on a shelf was the item she had wanted to retrieve, a hand-stitched rebel doll her mother had given her when she was very little. It was her last connection to her parents, one she cherished and regretted leaving behind after abruptly leaving with Finn. She retrieved the treasure and tucked it into her pocket.

Ben and Rose were outside by the ship standing next to each other, shifting uncomfortably.

"I'm ready," said Rey, as she joined her friends who both looked relieved to see her.

"Did you get what you were looking for?" Ben asked.

"Yes. It was a doll my mom made me. Did you guys, um, meet?"

"Sort of. We just said 'hi' and that was about it," said Rose.

"Ok then. Ben, this is Rose. Rose, Ben."

"Hi."

"Hi, again."

"Master Rey, have you returned?" C-3PO emerged from the ship. "I stayed on the ship as you asked. Are we ready to go?" He paused. "Master Ben? Oh thank the maker, you're alive!" He picked up his pace as he made his way towards Ben. "Your parents have been worried sick about you. Oh, but your parents…"

"I know," said Ben.

"I'm sorry, Master Ben, but there wasn't much I could do, I'm afraid."

An awkward silence befell on them.

"Did I say something?"

"Excuse me, might I ask a favor?" interrupted an older lady. Rey recognized her as another scavenger that she occasionally saw at the Outpost. The woman had always frightened her… was that going to be her one day? Old, scavenging alone day in and day out. No family. No friends. Scavengers mostly kept to themselves, which she made a particular point for this lady. However, Rey was able to successfully leave this part of her past behind while the old woman before her wasn't as fortunate.

"I would really like a ride to Coruscant," the woman continued. "I don't have much to offer, except for these portions I've saved up." She held up her few possessions.

"We can give you a ride," said Rey.

"Oh, thank you!" the old lady beamed. "I can't scavenge like I could in my younger days, and I just wanted to see my son before my life expires."

"Is your son on Coruscant?" Rose asked.

"Probably not, but I've heard of a corporation on Coruscant that helps reunite people with their families after being separated. I wanted my son to have a better life than what I could give him, so I gave him up when he was very little. I know the chances of them helping me are slim, but my chances are zero if I continue to stay here on Jakku."

"I've heard of such a place," said C-3PO. "But the chances of reuniting you with your son is 364,452 to 1."

"Like I said, it's better than 0."

"We should probably get going. I don't think Unkar Plutt is too pleased that he's losing another scavenger." Ben was right, Unkar was staring at them from a distance and not looking pleased in the slightest. At the same time, Rey couldn't recall a moment where she ever saw him happy.

Rey and Rose sprinted up the ramp and into the ship. Ben assisted their new guest on board while C-3PO clanked behind, muttering to himself. Rey got into the cockpit and fired up the engines while Rose put the coordinates in for Coruscant.

"We should have enough fuel to get to Coruscant and back to Ajan Kloss," said Rose.

"I hope you don't mind the detour. I couldn't just leave her there."

"Not at all," Rose smiled.

"C-3PO is with the woman," said Ben, as he joined Rey and Rose in the cockpit.

"Good, then we can finally take off." With a loud roar, the ship rose into the air, leaving Jakuu and Rey's old life far behind.


	7. Chapter 7: To Coruscant

Once they were out of hyperdrive and in route to Coruscant, Rey put the ship into autopilot.

"There. We should be set until we reach Coruscant."

"I'm going to message Finn and let him know we'll be delayed," said Rose, as she left the cockpit.

Finally, he was alone again with Rey. But he couldn't cherish the moment as he slumped in his seat, exhaustion and hunger finally taking its toll. Rey got up and gently put a hand on his shoulder.

"Have you eaten anything?"

"No. I just have… whatever this is." Ben held up the portion of dehydrated food Unkar had given him.

"We brought some food. It's better, though not by much." Rey turned to follow Rose out of the cockpit, but Ben reached out and grabbed her arm.

"I'm glad you came, Rey."

Rey smiled. "Of course. I'll be right back." He heard Rey run into something and mutter 'ow' as she left the room. He wondered if she told anyone about him, or if this was going to be an awkward surprise. Rose was uncomfortable around him, but it seemed to be more out of shyness than fear. As for Finn and everyone else, he knew they were relieved to learn he had died and were free from Kylo Ren's wrath. Only now, they'd soon find out he's not dead and still quite alive. He could handle himself, but he wasn't sure what Rey was planning to do. Of course, if she did forewarn the others, he might be distressing over nothing.

Rey came back with a couple of pieces of fruit and a small brown sack.

"Fruit and nuts from Ajan Kloss. Eat. You'll feel better." He took one of the pieces of fruit and bit into its soft, Juicy flesh. It wasn't one of the best tasting fruits he'd ever had, but the sweetness and moistness helped quench his thirst and hunger. He could feel more of the fog lifting from his head. After finishing the first piece of fruit he took a bite out of the second, recomposing himself.

"You had to do that every day."

"Do what?"

"Scavenge."

Rey nodded as she sat down across from him. "Yes. I always started early to beat the heat. Honestly, it doesn't get much better. You just learn how to make the best of it."

Ben felt flooded with a new wave of guilt. How many times did he attempt to bring her down after all she had already been through? He admired her strength. Instead of feeling sorry for herself, she kept going. She kept fighting. Even with all of the pain and suffering he had put her through, she never gave up. She was still by his side, willing to give him another chance. Not because she had to, but because she wanted to.

And yet, he could still sense fear within her. Being strong didn't mean not being afraid.

"Rey… you haven't told anyone about me, have you?"

Rey blushed as she shook her head. "I wasn't sure how…"

"Grrr, he makes me so mad sometimes!" said Rose as she came into the room. Her eyes darted between Rey and Ben. "Sorry, did I interrupt something?"

"No, you're fine, Rose," said Rey, giving a sigh of relief. "I'm guessing things didn't go well with Finn?"

"No. He's just worried we're going to get sidetracked and not come back, or something silly like that. I wish he'd trust me more."

"I think he does trust you. It's me he doesn't trust," said Rey. "I haven't really been forthcoming with him, and he's noticed."

"I've noticed, too. But like Finn said, we're a team, and we got to be honest with one another." She looked up at Ben. "Starting off, I don't know anything about you. How did you two meet?"

"It's a long story," said Rey.

"In the woods," said Ben, simultaneously.

"In the woods?" Rose looked at him suspiciously.

"We met on Takodana," said Rey. "When the First Order was attacking Maz Kanata's castle, I ran into the woods with BB-8. I told BB-8 to hide, and we separated. Then I ran into Ben."

Rose turned to Ben. "So you used to be with the First Order?"

"Yes."

"But you left?"

"Yes."

"Then you knew Finn…"

Ben shrugged. "Sort of."

"You two didn't along?"

"No, we didn't."

Rose's eyes lit up. "Oooh! That explains why you were nervous about telling Finn!" Rose paused and the look on her face was similar to Unkar Plutt's when he was piecing things together. "But then how did C-3PO know you?"

"Did someone call my name?"

"No," said Rey, quickly before turning back to Rose. "It's a really long story."

"Rey…"

"Look, we're almost at Coruscant!" Rey got up and ran to the pilot seat. Rose rolled her eyes and followed her.

Ben had been to Coruscant many times as a kid. Luke would take him site seeing, educating him about the last place the Jedi Order called home before it was destroyed at the end of the Clone Wars. Their trips to Coruscant were some of his fondest memories.

The planet was bustling with life just like it had for many millennia. After getting clearance to land the ship, Rey brought it down smoothly while admiring the city sprawled our before them.

"I've never seen a city before," she said in awe. "I'd love to look around, but I wouldn't even know where to start."

"This used to be the headquarters of the last Jedi Order. Young Padawans would train here during the times of the Galactic Republic," said Ben.

"Jedi used to train here?" Ben was surprised to hear the excitement in her voice. "I've been reading the sacred Jedi text and trying to train on my own. My dream is to eventually become good enough to train new Jedi so we can continue to bring peace to the galaxy. Coruscant would be a great place to start!" Ben smiled. She looked so cute when she got excited.

"Landing gear is down," said Rose. "Let's go help your friend."

They three of them left the cockpit and joined the old woman and C-3PO.

"I can't believe I'm finally here," the woman said. "I never thought this day would come. Thank you all so much!" She tried to give her food portions to Rey, but Rey pushed them back.

"You keep it. You need it more than us."

"But I got to pay…"

"You're fine," said Rose. "We're just happy to help."

Ben took his portion and handed it to her. "You can take mine, too."

"I can't…"

"I insist, please take it." The woman smiled, tears glistening in her eyes.

"Thank you. Thank you, so very much!"

"Do you want us to assist you to your destination?" Rey asked, as the woman made her way off the ship.

"No, you've done more than enough. Thank you again!" They waited until the woman was safely off the ramp and onto the landing platform before closing the hatch. Ben had to admit, it felt good doing something nice for someone without expecting anything in return. He hoped he would never forget that woman's smile of gratitude.


	8. Chapter 8: For Han

The ride back to Ajan Kloss primarily consisted of uncomfortable silence; even C-3PO didn't have much to say. The closer they got to their destination, the more Rey felt guilty about the secrets she had been hiding from her friends, especially with Finn. She also suspected Rose had pieced together the true identity of their new companion. 'Ben' wasn't exactly a common name. Meanwhile, Ben seemed to be lost in thought and didn't say much, either.

As soon as they landed, Rose bolted out of the cockpit. Rey stood up and took a deep breath.

"Let me talk to Finn first," she said, as she followed behind Rose.

When she got off the ship, she saw Rose had wrapped her arms around Finn, who looked confused.

"Um, is everything ok?" Rose continued to hold him; if she responded, it was too quiet for Rey to hear. "I'm sorry I didn't trust you? No, I mean, I really am sorry…"

"Um, Finn? Can I talk to you for a second?" Rose pulled away but kept herself close to Finn's side.

"I'm listening."

"You see, one thing I didn't tell you… well, one of many… but I… when the Jedi came to me and helped me defeat the Sith on Exegol… I died."

"You died? Rey, that doesn't make any sense."

"Ben used the force to give me life. He's the reason I'm still alive."

"Uh huh… right. And by Ben, you don't mean…"

"Hello, Master Finn! We have safely returned! And look who we found? Master Ben!" Finn's eyes locked onto Ben, and his mouth dropped.

"Rey… what is going on?"

"Ben's still alive, but he's on our side now. He's turned away from the darkness."

"What? No… How?"

"Rey, is that Ben Solo?" asked Rose.

"Yes," Ben replied. Rose grabbed Finn's hand and squeezed it hard causing Finn to flinch.

"Oh good, you're back. I need to talk to you about another… woah!" Poe and BB8 had now joined the scene. Poe's facial expressions were an exact replica of Finn's. "I honestly didn't think I'd see you again…"

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Finn. Please, I wanted to, but I didn't know how you'd react…"

Finn held up his hand and Rey stopped. "You… you're going to tell us everything, Rey. Everything! Right now!"

Then fur met skin and Ben was lying in the ground, his face covered in blood.

"Ben!" Rey shrieked as she bent down beside him while Chewbacca hoovered over them giving out a massive roar.

"Chewbacca, what has gotten into you?" said C-3PO, as Rose took off. "That's Master Ben! And what do you mean by 'for Han?" Chewbacca give a quieter, sad roar before joining Poe and Finn. Rose returned with a wet cloth which she handed to Rey.

"Thanks." Rose didn't reply as she scooted back towards Finn.

Poe marched up to Ben, fury in his eyes, hands clenched in fists. He might be hot-headed at times, but Rey had never seen him so angry. "You don't deserve anyone's compassion after what you did to us. After what you did to your own mother! Your father! Lor San Tekka! I could go on!"

"Don't act like your all high and mighty, Poe Dameron," Ben replied, as he wiped the blood on his face with the cloth. "I accept the mistakes I made and take full responsibility. How about you with yours?"'

"Mistakes? You call murder mistakes? Enslaving planets, bringing fear, death, and destruction wherever you go, breaking into people's minds… those are just mistakes? Nothing I did compares to your crimes. Yes, crimes, because that's what they are. Not mistakes."

"Mistakes was a bad choice of wording. I'm well aware of the horrible things I have done and the evil I have inflicted on others. That is why I'm here, to work on repairing the damages from my crimes."

"You can NEVER repair those damages!"

"I know, but I'm going to try and do what I can. The question still remains, what are you going to do? Have you accepted your crimes?"

"My mistakes are nothing compared to yours. You have no right to lecture me!"

"I'm not lecturing, nor am I making excuses for myself. I'm simply pointing out that you weren't a sweet innocent fly-boy like you pretend to be. I know your past without using the dark side, and you know it, too."

"I can't do this," said Finn. He turned and headed in the other direction, giving himself plenty of distance from Ben and Rey. The others looked at them with disappointment and distrust in their eyes before accompanying him.

"What was that all about with Poe?" Rey asked, as she healed Ben's wounds.

"Let's just say when we were kids, and our parents would get together, the two of us didn't get along."

"Sounds like an understatement."

"It is."

The wounds Chewbacca left didn't take too long to heal, leaving Rey only slightly exhausted when she was done.

"This is my fault. I should have been more honest with them."

Ben shrugged. "This is pretty much what I was expecting, though I didn't know Dameron would be here." Ben pushed himself up, wiping off the last bit of blood from his face. "Kylo Ren might be dead, but he was still me. I can't change that. I can tell you're still afraid of me."

"What? I'm not afraid."

"You flinched back at Jakku when Unkar Plutt mentioned my dad." Rey flinched. "There, you did it again."

"I'm sorry, Ben." Rey turned, her eyes meeting his. "When I look into your eyes, I don't see Kylo Ren. I see Ben."

"There's a but…"

"But I still have nightmares about Kylo Ren and Palpatine and what my life would be like if I did join the dark side. It's actually gotten worse since defeating the Sith, and I don't know why and I don't know how to make it stop."

Ben took Rey's hand. She didn't flinch at his touch, but she did let out a little surprised gasp as her face suddenly felt hot. She hoped it didn't turn a noticeable shade of red, but she was pretty sure it did.

"I know what I've done as Kylo Ren and the tremendous amount of pain I've brought upon others. Especially to you. I promise I will do whatever I can to make you happy, and to make those nightmares go away."

"Ben." Rey smiled as she moved her face close to his and he did the same. Their lips barely brushed against each other when a shout interrupted them.

"Rey!" Poe came marching towards them. "We want you to talk to you. JUST you," he said, giving an infuriated glance towards Ben.

Rey got to her feet. "I'll be right back."

Poe's eyes stayed focused on Ben, as if to say, 'Stay there, and don't do anything' before he followed behind Rey.

As they headed towards the others, Rey saw Maz Kanata out of the corner of her eye making her way towards Ben. Maz looked at Rey, a sad smile on her face. The smile, however, did not look like one of disappointment, but one of hope, as if to remind Rey that everything would be all right. One day.


	9. Chapter 9: Aunt Maz

Ben watched as Maz Kanata approached him. He had known the old pirate his entire life but hadn't encountered her since joining the dark side. His dad was an old friend of hers, so he didn't expect this conversation to go well. She stood before him, her wrinkly eyes full of age and wisdom staring into his; it felt like she could see right into his soul.

"You destroyed my castle."

Not the first words he thought she'd say. Maz proceeded to whack him on the head. Ben was quickly reminded that her size should never be disregarded for her strength.

"Ow!" She whacked him a couple of more times. Ben put his hands over his head in a futile effort to lesson the pain from her blows, but it did nothing to help. She raised her arm to strike again but stopped midway through.

"Ben," she sighed, letting her arm fall to her side. Ben cautiously lowered his hands from his head as he pushed himself slightly away from her. He was pretty sure she was finished but didn't want to take the chance of being wrong. "You have no idea how much your parents loved you, do you?"

"My mom, yes," said Ben as Maz sat down next to him.

"Your dad loved you, too."

"Too often it didn't feel like it."

"Believe me, he did. He saw how close you were to your uncle and how much you idolized him, so he backed away. Typical Han. It hurt him more than you'd realize, but you know he wasn't one to show his emotions, particularly when it came to affection." She smiled gently as she put one of her frail hands over his. "Ben, he wasn't avoiding you because he didn't love you, but because he did love you."

Even though Ben knew this was true, it didn't make hearing her words hurt any less.

"And then Luke tried to kill me," he said, attempting to change the topic off his father.

"Yes, and combing that with the anger you had towards your father, the Dark Side seized you, and you left us."

"I…" Ben started, but he didn't know what to say next. Apologizing wasn't going to change the horrific things he had done.

"Still…" Maz continued. "Even if you left us, you did come back. That was a difficult feat to overcome."

"Yes, but… is it too late?"

Maz smiled, "It's never too late. Your future isn't going to be easy, but you have it. Learn from your mistakes, Ben, and make things better. That's what your uncle wanted, wasn't it?"

"Yes, it was."

They both looked up and from a distance Ben could see Rey hugging Finn tightly. As if reading his mind, Maz continued, "Rey and Finn have a special relationship. They were there for each other during a time when they were both alone and scared with no one else to turn to. I believe they will always be close. Just remember, Ben, she only has eyes for you. I can tell. Never take her for granted." Ben and Maz stood up as Poe, Finn, Rose, Chewbacca, and Rey came towards them.

"I finally told them everything," Rey smiled, as the little sunlight that was able to break through the wild landscape reflected the shimmering tears on her face.

"You can stay with us," said Dameron. "But to be clear, that does NOT mean we trust you. Rey has agreed to be responsible for any of your actions. If you do anything to hurt her, or any us, we won't be afraid to fight."

Chewbacca gave a roar of agreement.

"To elaborate on what Poe said, we trust Rey. Though she hasn't been as forthcoming as we would have liked, at least we understand why now." Finn turned to Rey and smiled.

"Thank you. It feels so good to get everything out in the open."

"Well, now that we're done with that, we need to figure out our next step. We can't stay here forever," said Dameron.

"Good, because I have an idea I'd like to talk to you about," said Finn. Dameron, Finn, Rose, and Chewbacca headed back to their main base. Maz gave a little wink towards Rey as she followed them, leaving them alone once more.

"They were a lot more understanding than I thought they would be," Rey said, her voice filled with relief. "I promise, Ben," she took Ben's hands, "we'll get through this. Together."

Ben smiled. Dameron was right on one thing; he did not deserve compassion, especially from her. Yet here she was. He released one of his hands and brushed the tears off her cheek. She gave a little gasp as he watched her face turn a brilliant shade of scarlet, like it did a few moments earlier.

He had been wanting to do this since he first regained consciousness, and now his chance has finally come. He pushed his lips against hers and she welcomed them. He had always felt a strong connection between the two of them, even before Snoke interfered. He didn't fully understand it until he saw Rey's lifeless body. Just thinking about it made him hold her closer. He lost her once, and he never wanted to lose her again.

After they pulled apart, all Ben could hear was them struggling to catch their breaths.

"I've secretly been wanting to do that since I knew you were alive," said Rey, as soon as she was able to find her voice again.

"Me too."

They held each other tightly. Yes, it was a long windy road ahead of him, filled with foreseen and unforeseen obstacles. But at least he wouldn't be on this road alone.


	10. Chapter 10: Nightmare

Rey was standing at the edge of the stardestroyer, trembling as Kylo Ren held out his hand to her.

"Take my hand, Rey."

"Rey!" Finn shouted from the Millennium Falcon behind her, also stretching his hand out. "Come on! We need to go!"

"It's your destiny, Rey. Don't be afraid. It's ok."

"REY!"

This was not the first time Rey had a dream like this, but this time, it was real. She had to make a choice, and she had to make it now.

"Come, Rey."

"Rey, don't… REEEEEY!"

Rey turned her back to Finn. As soon as her hand touched Kylo Ren's hand, everything went dark.

The darkness was quickly interrupted by a chaos of red and orange flames and the flashing blades of numerous lightsabers. The Jedi were everywhere and she and Kylo Ren had no choice but to destroy them all. The others didn't understand what they were up against, that their efforts were futile.

Rey grinned forebodingly as she spun around her double-bladed, ruby lightsaber. Poe was the first to come at her with his blue lightsaber. She was a little confused why he had a lightsaber, but no matter. She dodged his attack and struck a deadly blow from behind. His body fell to the ground with a loud thud. Rose came at her next, embracing a pink lightsaber, but her fate promptly matched Poe's. Rey was swift and unforgiving to anyone who wanted to destroy her or her unborn child.

"Rey, this isn't you!" Finn yelled. Pathetic. Rey smiled; his distraction was his demise. Ren struck him before Finn even realized what was happening. He reached a helpless hand towards her. Even at the edge of death, he was still pleading for her to come back. Why? And in a split second, Rey was filled with remorse. What had she done? What was she going to do now?

Rey shot out of bed, gasping for breath. Every time she had that dream, if felt so real, even if there were many aspects of it that didn't make any sense. It always took her awhile to calm down and remind herself that her friends were not dead, they were still quite alive, and she never joined the dark side. Maybe that scenario could have happened, but it didn't, because she went with Finn. The baby, however, was a new addition. She put her hand over her flat stomach. Why? Was it because Ben is here now? She never thought about him that way before… Rey could feel her face get hot again. She tried to push it out of her mind as she got out of bed. The room was filled with Rose's thunderous snoring as Rey fumbled to the door towards the Falcon's galley.

The galley was fortunately just outside of their bunk. She went through her usual nightly routine and put a pot of water on the stove. While the water was heating, she took her mix of medicinal herbs from the cupboard and poured some in an empty mug. The herbs helped her relax and get a few more hours of sleep before she'd start the day with her Jedi training. She had tried taking her tea concoction before bed, only to be wide awake a couple of hours later with her head in an incessant fog for the rest of the day. The middle of the night was the only time it seemed to work.

When her water was at a boil, she turned off the stove and poured it into her mug, taking it with her into the lounge. As she sat down, she noticed that Ben was sleeping in the bunk just behind her. He looked so… peaceful. She hadn't known him as Ben for very long; Kylo Ren was always so angry and disturbed. It was the first time she had seen him like this. He had his black cape draped over him like a blanket. She had taken his clothes with her the day he disappeared on Exegol and was finally able to return them before everyone turned in for the evening.

Then the dream popped in her head and she instinctively turned away, taking a big gulp of her tea, almost choking on it. She quickly looked behind her. Oh good, he was still asleep. Now hopefully C-3PO wouldn't be awake…

"Master Rey!" the droid exclaimed, right on cue. "Are you having trouble sleeping again?"

"Sssssh!" Rey hissed. "Ben's sleeping!"

"I'm sorry, but whispering is not in my protocol."

"Then stop talking," Rey whispered back.

"Rey?"

Rey turned around, and of course, not only was Ben awake, but he had no shirt on. She snapped back to her tea and took another gulp, being careful not to choke this time.

"Sorry for waking you, I couldn't sleep."

"I was the one who woke you, Master Ben. I apologize. I'll take my leave now." Rey stared at her tea as she heard the mechanical sounds from the droid die off into the distance.

"Why couldn't you sleep?"

"Bad dreams," Rey said to her mug. "I have them almost every night, so I make this tea to help me get some more sleep."

"What kind of dre…."

"I really don't want to talk about it." She could hear shuffling from behind as Ben sat up on his cot.

"Talking about them could help."

"No… It really wouldn't. You should go back to sleep. I'll be done with my tea soon and will be returning to bed myself." Rey could feel her heart beating faster; she was starting to feel dizzy from the overwhelming heat going to her head mixed with the hot tea.

Please go back to sleep. Please go back to sleep.

There was a weird sound coming from beneath her foot. What was that? She looked down and noticed that the sound was actually her own foot twitching frenziedly as it kicked at the chair and floor. Rey a bundle of nerves, and the tea wasn't enough to calm her down. She heard Ben get up and take a seat next to her.

"Rey, look at me." Rey could feel her body slowly turn impulsively. Breathe, Rey, breathe. What are you getting so excited for anyways?

"Hi." Hi? That was really your best response?

"Hi." Ben took one of her hands. "You know you can talk to me about anything, right?" Rey nodded. "You said we'd get through this together. You're not alone, I'm here for you, too." Rey smiled and nodded again. Ben leaned in for a kiss, but she dodged it and wrapped her arms around him instead.

"Thank you, Ben," she whispered in his ear as she quickly let go. She stood up with her near empty mug of tea. "I think I can go back to sleep now."

"Do you still want to train in the morning?"

"Yes. Even if I get back to sleep, I'll still be up early to train. I think you'll really like Leia's… I mean, your mom's course. It helped me a lot, though I'm still very rusty."

"You defeated the Sith and you think you're rusty?"

"I had a lot of help, though. There was no way I could have done that without the other Jedi. Or someone giving me the strength to not kill Palpatine."

"I heard he also brought you back to life."

Rey could feel herself calming down immensely. "He did. I'm lucky to have him on my side." She gave Ben a little smile as she ducked into the galley. After finishing the last bit of her tea and washing her mug, she noticed her head felt much cooler. It was just a matter of getting her mind focused on other things.

"Rey, are you sure you're ok?" Ben asked as she was making her way back to her bunk.

"I'm actually feeling much better. You better be ready in the morning! I won't be easy on you just because you're recovering."

"I'll be ready. Good night, Rey."

"Good night, Ben."


	11. Chapter 11: Friends?

Rose sat up in her cot and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She looked up to see Rey's bed was empty, with exception to her doll she had rescued from Jakku. It was a new addition Rose had liked. Since the end of the First Order, she had felt out of place. With Paige gone, she didn't have any family to go home to, or a home for that matter. She had no connection to the force like Rey and Finn. She wasn't an ace pilot like Poe, and Chewbacca and Maz were in a class of their own. She was simply a mechanic, a miner prior to joining the Resistance, and without war, she didn't feel like she was much else. Sure, the ships they still had needed repairs, which kept her and Rey busy, but that work was almost done. Rose had hoped that if she could master even the basics of cooking, with Finn by her side, she'd be able to contribute something to the team. But it appeared cooking wasn't one of her strong points either, and Finn was feigning interest.

Seeing the doll reminded Rose that Rey was once a young, innocent girl, just like her. She was more than a Jedi, she was a human with similar hopes and dreams. It gave Rose the aspiration that there was something more out there for her too. She was hoping the new adventure she and Finn would about to embark would be a good change in pace and give her more of a purpose. Plus it would give her some time with Finn. Fiddling with the charm around her neck, she cheerfully rose out of bed and got herself ready for the day.

Upon exiting the bunk, she was greeted by D-O chasing BB-8, who was beeping excitedly. She gave a little chuckle at the droid's playfulness as she made her way down the corridor. Not to her surprise, the boys were playing Dejarik on the holochess table; Chewbacca versus Poe and Finn. The game really didn't interest Rose, but she found the desperation Poe and Finn had at trying to beat Chewbacca, or at least prove that he was cheating, rather amusing.

"Hey," she said as she sat next to a super focused Finn.

"Hi," he replied, without glancing up from the table.

"Here," said Poe, as he threw some sort of wrapped food bar towards Rose, who caught it with ease. "Breakfast. Picked it up on my runs."

"Thanks." Rose opened the mysterious package and took a bite. It wasn't very tasty, but it was still better than her cooking, which had been terrible. She could feel ugly thoughts creep into her brain, taunting her, telling her that she was useless, a nobody. Rose shook her head, trying to knock the awful lies out of her mind, and gulfed down the rest of the bar. "You really don't give us any details on these missions you do."

"And I prefer to keep it that way."

"I don't know what move to make, I think he's got us trapped again," Finn muttered, scratching his chin.

The hatch opened and an exhausted looking Rey and Ben climbed on board.

"Yeah, I can't make any moves where you won't win." Chewbacca gave a pleased roar.

"Tough training?" asked Rose.

"Yeah. It was pretty brutal, but I needed that."

"I'm not even at full health."

"Don't brag, Ben. I've beaten you before, and I'll beat you again."

"You put a hole through my chest. Literally. Please don't do that again."

Rey gave him an embarrassed, yet irritated stare. "I healed you, and I would really prefer if that wasn't mentioned EVER again."

"You're the one who put a hole through my heart, Rey."

"That wasn't your heart! Ug!" Rey turned. "I'm going to wash up." She stormed off.

"Too soon, I guess," Ben mumbled.

"Yeah, your people skills need some work. Though they've always been terrible. Here." Poe tossed Ben one of the mystery bars.

"I was wondering about that hole," said Rose. Ben stared at her and Rose could feel goosebumps pop up on her back. "Not that I was looking!"

"Play again?" Finn asked. Poe shrugged.

"You're playing against Chewbacca? You know he cheats." Chewbacca leaped out of his seat and marched over to Ben, his hands in fists. He got into Ben's face, and with great muster, managed to avoid punching him again. Chewbacca gave a little threating roar before he left the room, heading towards the cockpit.

"You know the he cheats?" Poe asked.

"Yes. I didn't played against Chewbacca as much as my father, but I can show you what he does." Poe and Finn nodded uneasily. Ben took Chewbacca's place and started a new round. Rose leaned over Finn's shoulder to watch.

Ben was remarkably a good teacher. He was patient, explaining the moves and rules thoroughly, yet effectively. Poe seemed to be more into the game than Finn, who appeared to be distracted. Rose wondered if he was thinking about their upcoming adventures and challenges that awaited them on Kef Bir.

"You ok?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"Worried about Kef Bir?" Finn finally turned his attention towards her, talking to her face rather than the air in front of him.

"I know we're going to be helping stormtroopers who want to be liberated, but I have no clue what to expect, or what kind of person they'll perceive me to be. The training the First Order put us though… our minds were programmed to complete very specific tasks and nothing else. That's not something you can easily overcome, if ever. I was one of the lucky ones, and even I struggle from time to time." From what Rose had gathered, the remains of the First Order were in complete chaos without their leaders to guide them. Things had become violent with coups happening daily. Finn had been in communications with Jannah, who was rescuing stormtroopers from their stark environment and bringing them to Kef Bir to start a new, less brainwashing life.

"You've got this," Rose smiled. "And I'll help any way that I can."

"I feel much better," sighed Rey, as she returned to her friends. Rose looked up and noticed a look of joy on Rey's face that she had never seen before. She looked relieved. Relaxed. The scene that lay before her must had been unexpected, with everyone getting along before they separated on their own exploits. Chewbacca was missing, yes, but at least Ben's face wasn't bloody. That had to count for something. Rose wrapped her fingers around the charm of her necklace as she returned Rey a satisfied grin. They might all be separated for the time being, but Rose knew that with their strong friendships and shared journeys, they would be reunited soon.


	12. Chapter 12: See you Later (F&R Arc)

"I'm ready!" said Rey, as she exited the ship with a large bag clenched in her hand.

"That's a large bag."

"Good job stating the obvious, Finn," said Rose, as she jabbed at him.

"I wanted to bring all of the sacred Jedi text," said Rey, as she plopped her bag down by Ben's feet. "We don't know what we might need. Are you sure you're going to be ok here, Maz?"

Maz grinned, "I'll be just fine, plus Chewie will be staying with me." Chewbacca nodded. "I think this would be a perfect place to rebuild my castle, and I have many allies who are willing to help. I just hope no one destroys it this time." She gave a daggered look towards Ben who shrugged.

"You better take good care of my droid." Poe pointed accusingly towards Rey. "I don't want any surprises like last time."

"BB-8 will be fine," she said, as the Astromech gave a little happy beep.

"Well, this is it," said Finn.

"We'll be back together again soon." Rey grinned as she wrapped her arms around Finn in a platonic hug.

"Hey, let me in on this," said Poe as he joined their hug. Chewbacca roared and grasped all three between his hefty, hairy arms.

"Chewbacca!" Rey laughed.

As the four relinquished their grips, everyone exchanged their goodbyes and well wishes with one another. Except for Ben. Most of Rey's comrades were reluctant to approach him, and for valid reasons. Even BB-8 got a soft pat and hug from Poe.

D-O rolled around Maz excitedly as she walked to Ben.

"You take care of her."

Ben nodded. "I will, but she's perfectly capable of taking care of herself."

"Oh, I know. But if you hurt her," she waved a dangerous finger at him, "believe me, I have friends all over the galaxy who will come to her aid in a flash."

"You're not worried about me?" Ben joked.

"I'm more worried of you then I am for you. Trust is a delicate gift, and a hard thing to get back when you lose it. The challenges ahead of you are immense."

"I'm well aware. I'm just glad to have someone by my side who's willing to give me another chance." He gave a small nod in Rey's direction, who was giggling along with her friends.

"As long as you don't do anything stupid or give in the dark side again, you'll have more on your side. Just remember that no matter what you do, there will be many who will never forgive you. You won't be able to change their minds; all you can do is accept it and continue moving forward."

"Is everyone ready?" Rey asked, as she returned to Ben and BB-8.

"As ready as I'll be," said Finn. With excited anticipation of what the future held, everyone made their way to their respectful ships.

* * *

The closer they got to Kef Bir, the more anxious Finn became. Would they seem him as a hero, a role-model? Or would they look at him with disdain, assuming he'd be pompous?

Rose was quiet as she navigated the Corellian corvette. He noticed after the excitement of the fall of the Final Order had died down, she became more and more subdued. He was hoping this journey would find a way to raise her spirits.

"You ok, Rose?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine."

Silence. Finn tried to think of something to say, but Rose beat him to it.

"You worried about Rey?"

"Yeah, I am, actually." It was nice to talk about something other than Kef Bir, though this was a whole other disconcerting topic. "She's strong and a fighter, but I don't trust Ben. If you put his past aside, he seemed like an average, nice guy when we were playing Dejarik. But still. When I look at Ben, all I can see is Kylo Ren, and I'm filled with all of this anger. Rage. I just want to punch him over and over again, and it's been hard to stop myself from doing so. He did things much worse to her than me, so I don't get how she can be so… forgiving."

"I don't think she's being forgiving," said Rose. "I think she sees him as a totally separate person. But I can tell even she struggles between separating the two."

"If he hurts her…" Finn's voice trailed off as they entered the atmosphere of Kef Bir. The ocean appeared to be just as angry as it did the last time they were there as wave after wave smashed at the remains of the Death Star II. The land itself had changed though; there were more inhabitants. Finn saw a group of children sitting in a circle look up at their ship. Amongst the children, he was alarmed to see a few fully armored stormtroopers along with other ex-troopers that had been making Kef Bir their new sanctuary. He reminded himself that even though they wanted freedom from the remains of the First Order, everyone dealt with the Order's programming in their own way. It would take time for them to feel comfortable enough to shed their armor and embrace their individualism for the first time of their lives.

Rose found a clear place to land and lowered the ship, setting it down safely. Taking a deep breath, Finn pushed a button to open the hatch and let down the exit ramp.

"Well, here we go." Finn left the cockpit and made his way to the lounge where C-3PO and R2-D2 were waiting. "You two stay on the ship for now, ok?"

"We will be right here if you need us," responded C-3PO. R2-D2 gave a string of beeps.

"Thanks for the concern, but we'll be ok."

As he exited the ship, with Rose directly behind him, he saw a group of people heading in their direction.

Finn gulped as he watched the mass get closer. "Let's see what we got."

The onlookers stopped a few meters or so away from where the ship landed. Curious children hung behind some of the adults as a man free of his stormtrooper attire made the first approach to the newcomers.

"Are you Finn, the rogue stormtrooper?"

Finn nodded. "I am." The man stared at him, as if trying to believe what he was seeing. Then he turned back towards the crowd.

"It's him! It's The Finn!" Everyone started cheering as the man gave Finn a tight hug. "We're glad you could make it! Jannah told us you would be coming soon, but we thought it wouldn't be for a few more days! Welcome, welcome!" Everyone wanted to shake Finn's hands, clap him on the back, embrace him, or anything that would draw his attention to them. It was exactly what he had hoped for. The praise was tremendous, and he loved it. As much as he hated to admit it, it felt nice stepping out from Rey's shadow.

Out of the corner of his eye, Finn saw Rose step off the ramp, watching the scene in front of her. Alone. He wanted to reach out to her, but with all of the commotion and excitement, he felt himself get swept away with his new entourage.


	13. Chapter 13: Welcome! (F&R Arc)

Rose watched from afar as Finn was in his element; he was free from the Order and a hero to his fellow ex-stormtroopers. Though she could only make out bits and pieces of what they were saying, she could tell they cherished him.

She was startled when one of the little kids, who had apparently broken away from the adults, was pulling on her shirt.

"Excuse me, miss?"

"Oh, how cute!" Rose thought to herself, as she kneeled down to get to the boy's level.

"What is it?"

"Were you a former stormtrooper, too?"

"Well, no, but I…"

"Oh." The boy took off, returning to Finn's adorers. Rose frowned. Maybe it would have been better if she stayed with Maz. She couldn't relate to what any of these people were going through. She was never kidnapped from the First Order or brainwashed to kill. What possibly could she provide to these people?

No. She had promised herself she would be more assertive, and that's what she was going to do. She marched over towards Finn and his entourage.

"Hey, now! Give the man some space!" she bellowed. They looked at her strangely before stepping aside.

"Thank you," Finn whispered in her ear.

"You're welcome," she whispered back.

Finn turned towards the crowd. "Thanks, everyone. I'd like to eventually talk to you individually, but first I want to see what's going on here. Where's Jannah?"

"That's probably her there," someone said, pointing to a ship in the sky heading in their direction. All eyes were now on the ship as it came closer and closer, before landing next to the Corellian corvette. The hatch opened and sure enough, Jannah stepped out.

"Finn!" she exclaimed, as she ran towards him, bypassing Rose and embracing him in a hug. Rose took a step back, feeling like she was invading something very personal. Jannah kissed Finn on the cheek before letting him go. "I didn't think you were coming for another day or two!"

"It's a long story, but we decided to come early." He nodded in Rose's directions.

"Oh, you must be Rose! Finn's told me all about you." Before Rose could respond, Jannah had her in a tight hug, which was quickly followed by a kiss on the cheek before she returned her focus to her ship. Lando Calrissian had now stepped off, and behind him were five more people. Two were stormtroopers still in their full armor, two were at least comfortable enough to remove their helmets, and the last one was completely out of her armor. Rose could tell there was something odd about her before she almost pushed Lando off the platform in her excitement of getting off the ship.

"We're finally here!" she exclaimed. Rose heard a couple of groans behind her.

"I'm surprised she's still alive," one person whispered to another.

"It's because she's got excellent aim," replied the other.

"Oh, my goodness… are you Finn?" Hyper girl finally discovered Finn's presence. It took longer than Rose thought it would.

Finn nodded. "Yeah."

"THE Finn?" He looked at Rose, his eyes pleading for help. Rose shrugged her shoulders; there was nothing she could do.

"Yes…" The girl charged at Finn, knocking him down.

"I'm so excited to meet you! Everyone has been telling stories of the ex-stormtrooper who had joined the Resistance and was a real fighter and how you were involved with destroying starkiller base, which really made me mad like many others, so for awhile everyone was talking about how you were a traitor, but then you came to the Supremacy, and that got destroyed too, but I guess that wasn't your fault, and we just got more mad at you, but then in the end everyone realized you were only trying to save us, and you are my hero and I can't believe I'm finally meeting you!"

"Can you get off of me?"

"Oh, sure." The hyper girl got back on her feet. "I'm Zin, by the way. I already renamed myself because VN-1462 is such a boring name. Isn't that cool?"

"Yeah, cool," Finn grumbled as Rose helped him up.

"Zin, why don't you go join the others? Finn just got here, and we have a lot of things we need to catch up on." Rose was surprised at how calm and sweet Jannah was to Zin. She, personally, was fighting the urge to not strangle her.

"Ok!" said Zin, as she skipped away.

Jannah turned to the crowd. "Ok, everyone!" Silence fell immediately; Rose was impressed. "As you know, we have several new guests. Why don't you show our newcomers around and make them feel comfortable. Lando, Finn, Rose, and myself will join you shortly. You know the routine. Let's go!" The crowd dispersed, making their way back towards what appeared to be their camp.

"Sorry about that. You are a hero to them. Everyone here idolizes you."

"That would have been good to know before we got here."

Jannah shrugged. "Sorry," she repeated.

"Let's get you two up to speed before we join the others," said Lando. "There's a lot of work to be done."

"Good idea," said Jannah.

They boarded the Corellian corvette and gathered together in the conference chamber. C-3PO and R2-D2 stood to the side, ready to provide assistance when needed.

"Right now, we've established a small camp using parts and scraps from old ships that were beyond repair. We work together as a unit to provide protection, food, shelter, and emotional support. As you've noticed, not everyone is comfortable losing their stormtrooper armer, but the fact that they were willing to leave is a start. We respect that everyone is going to handle their new freedom differently, which is something I'll probably need to remind Zin again."

"She's one of our more energetic rescuers," chuckled Lando.

"That's a nice way to put it," Rose grumbled.

"So how often are you guys rescuing former First Order stormtroopers?" asked Finn.

"Every couple of days, Jannah and I make our rounds to former First Order ships to see if anyone needs liberation. We can usually get in and out with minimal trouble. The problem is our ship is too small to carry many people. As much as I wish you brought the Falcon, this ship will do just fine."

"Yeah, Rey wanted the Falcon, and we figured this ship would work. What do you need from Rose and I?"

Jannah grinned. "For starters, staying here and helping everyone get acquainted with their new environment. When we're ready for our next round, we can always use another pair of hands to help in case things go wrong."

Finn clapped his hands together. "We can do that. We also have a couple of friends who will be stopping at Coruscant. There's apparently some organization there that helps reunite people with families who have been separated."

"Yes. They're called R.F.I.G., Reuniting Families In the Galaxy. We've been so focused on liberating former stormtroopers that we haven't looked into them yet."

"How long do you think it will take your friends to talk to them?" Jannah asked, eagerly.

"It'll be awhile," said Finn. "They had a few other things to do first. I don't know how long they'll be."

"But they'll be coming here to help?"

"Yes. You've met Rey, and she's bringing a… friend with her."

"Friend?" Lando looked at him suspiciously.

"You'll meet him soon enough," said Rose. "Poe Dameron will also be coming, but we know even less of his plans."

"That's fine," said Jannah. "I'm just relieved that we have help. We've been growing steadily, and I don't know how long the peace here will last."

"And that's why we're here," said Finn. He gave a little smile and nod at Rose, who couldn't help grinning back.

"Well then," said Lando, as he stood up. "I think it's time we give you a tour of our camp."

"By any chance do you need any assistance from R2 or I? We are more than happy to be at your service." R2-D2 beeped in agreement.

"I think we're good for now. Just watch the ship," said Finn.

"Oh," said the droid. Rose could hear him muttering to R2 as they left the ship, something about humans and impending doom.


	14. Chapter 14: Illum's Moon (Rey & Ben Arc)

"We are completely surrounded by meteoroids, aren't we?" Rey didn't wait for an answer. "I'll get us out of this."

"Have you ever flown a ship through a meteoroid stream before?"

"No, but there's a first time for everything."

"And a last time if we get killed."

"I won't get us killed."

"You're still learning how to use the force, and how to fly. Let me get us out of this."

"Hands off, Solo!"

To say their trip didn't start off well would be an understatement. After a lengthy argument over who would fly the Falcon, in which Rey won, the hyperdrive started to act fickly. When they finally got it to work, they found themselves surrounded by massive chunks of rock. Rey was having a hard time concentrating with Ben wanting to take control and she could feel her aggravation continue to rise. A scraping sound on the left side of the ship jolted her upright. BB-8 beeped nervously. His master would not be pleased.

"Rey, if I could…"

"No! I've got to learn. This wouldn't be so hard if you didn't keep bugging me."

"If you knew how to use the force, you could block all of that out and concentrate…"

"Stop it! Your dad was impressed with my ship knowledge and was even willing to give me a job. He trusted me, why can't you? I…"

Bang! Another meteoroid clanked loudly on the right side of the ship. BB-8 gave another worried beep. Ben was right though, she had to trust the force more or she would get them all killed. Closing her eyes, she took in some deep breaths to calm herself down and forge a connect with the force. She could do this, it was just the matter of relaxing and blocking everything around her out.

Her mind began to close, and an image appeared. Like seeing the solution to a maze, Rey followed her instincts and moved the ship carefully between the giant space rocks. The silence surrounding her kept her focused until she was finally able to clear the ship away from the meteoroids. She opened her eyes, relieved to see the path ahead was clear.

"There. I told you I could do it." BB-8 gave some pleased sounding beeps. "We got you covered, BB-8." Ben chose not to respond, which in Rey's opinion was a smart choice.

Ever since Rey had encountered Luke's former lightsaber, it never really felt like hers. It was true the lightsaber had called out to her, and it had been loyal to her throughout her endeavors. However, there was so much history tied to it, so many good and bad events the lightsaber had witnessed, she didn't feel right keeping it. It was now time to create one of her own.

While poking through one of the Jedi texts, she found information on kyber crystals, one of the key components to a lightsaber. Intrigued, Rey dove in, educating herself on everything the books had to offer on these mysterious crystals. They were rare, and on the unlikely chances you could find them on the black market, outrageously expensive. Most Jedi would either harvest their own crystals or use synthetic ones. Rey wanted to take on the challenge of finding a real one. The most famous location for the crystals was in the crystal cave on Ilum. Since the planet didn't exist anymore, she figured why not venture to one of Ilum's two moons to see if there was something similar there?

It wasn't hard talking Ben into going. He never had a crystal of his own, either. The one in his prior lightsaber was synthetic, and it broke in one of his many rage-induced temper tantrums. A real kyber crystal would be much stronger, and they only responded to the light side anyway. She was excited that the two of them would be going on this epic adventure together, but now she wanted nothing more than to do this alone.

"Well, here's our first moon," Rey said, as they entered the moon's atmosphere. "Hopefully there are some kyber crystals here." Ben leaned towards Rey, who angrily attempted to block him out by focusing on navigating.

"It's not that I don't trust you. The first time I flew into a meteoroid stream with my Dad in the Falcon, he yelled at me the whole time. Every time he shouted, I'd freak out and bang the ship into a passing meteoroid. When we arrived home, the ship was completely battered up on all sides. With my dad's flying, I'm sure that wasn't the first time the ship had been abused, but there was no telling him that. That was the last time he ever let me fly the Falcon. We…didn't really have a good relationship."

"I kind of gathered you two didn't, but… woah." As their ship got closer to the surface, Rey could see an assortment of grays in every hue, arranged in various shapes. Then amongst the grays, shades of brown appeared, then a spackling of more dull colors.

This moon was a dumping ground.

It was littered with ships from all across the galaxy, unloading their rubbish onto already dense heaps of waste. Rey could see scraps of metal, pieces of ships and equipment, old furniture…pretty much anything someone could throw away. As a scavenger, it might have look like a dream; so many parts for so many credits! But if this moon had kyber crystals, where would they even begin?

"It's a garbage port," said Ben. "This moon had no life, so the galaxy has used its surface to dump their waste."

"Maybe the other moon would be more promising?"

Ben shook his head. "It's probably just a twin of this one. And it looks like we're being hailed."

Sure enough, Rey saw a blinking red light over her head. She pushed the button to answer the hail.

"Are you dumping or buying?" said a gruff voice.

Rey looked at Ben who shrugged his shoulders. "I guess buying?" he whispered.

"Buying?" said the voice. "Then you need to get out of the dumping zone and go to the market port. Just park wherever there's a free space." The hail ended.

"There's a market here?"

"Makes sense. Other scavengers like you make a living sorting through other's junk."

"I can't tell if this is better or worse than Jakuu," Rey muttered, as she flew the ship towards the market. "How do we even know if there are crystals here?"

"They're here," said Ben. "When you land the ship, I'll show you."

The Falcon seemed to fit right in, as they parked it next to some other ships that had obviously seen plenty of action.

"Before we go, I want you to close your eyes."

"And connect with the force," Rey said as she shut her eyes.

"It's more than a connection. You read about the kyber crystals, correct?"

"Everything I could."

"Then you know there's one crystal that will call specifically to you. You're not going to just connect with it. You're going to see it. Feel it. Hear it. Relax your mind like you did when we were in the meteoroid stream. If you hear a humming, that's your crystal."

Rey found that taking in slow deep breaths was the most effective way to shut herself off from her surroundings.

She was sitting in darkness. There was a mystifying presence of something nearby, but she couldn't tell what direction it was coming from. It seemed to be reaching out to her from every angle, giving off a gentle warmness that felt like being hugged by a blanket during a bitter cold night on Jakuu.

She let herself sink in further. Now she could make a better sense of its location. She turned to the direction of the entity, and as soon as she did, a tiny, blueish white glow broke through the darkness. The kyber crystal. The glowing proceeded as the crystal began to hum, letting out a sweet melody that only Rey's ears were allowed to hear. She tried reaching out towards it, knowing it wasn't really there, but desperately wanting to touch it, to let it sweep her away…

Rey opened her eyes. Her crystal was definitely on this moon! Her earlier frustrations had melted away into excitement as she turned towards Ben, who had been watching her. She felt herself blush as she cleared her throat. "How do you know so much about the crystals?"

"Luke told me. It's not just in those old books." He laughed; it was the first time Rey had ever heard him laugh. "Now come on, let's go find our crystals."


	15. Chapter 15: Labyrinth (Rey & Ben Arc)

Edited 2/14/2020

* * *

As Rey predicted, Illum's moon was just as cold as the former planet itself. They had brought with them some of Leia's and Han's winter clothing they had found stashed on the Falcon. It felt weird putting on Leia's old jacket, as if Rey had stolen a prized possession of hers. She couldn't even begin to understand how uncomfortable Ben was feeling as he put on his father's jacket.

"Are you sure Beebee-Ate can watch the ship?" Ben glanced at the droid skeptically as they made their way off the ship

"Never underestimate a droid," Rey winked. "Besides, it's not like we have a lot of options…" No sooner had their feet met with the moon's surface, a Weequay approached them. Rey had never met a Weequay before, but she heard enough stories to know they weren't the most trustworthy of species.

"Friends!" he said, his arms up in the air in some sort of welcoming gesture.

"We've never met you before," said Ben.

"I'm sure you haven't," replied the Weequay. "But everyone is a friend to Grodo! That's a very nice ship you got there. Very nice." He ran a leathery finger against the ships smooth surface.

"We have an astromech guarding the ship, so don't even think about it," Rey warned.

"An astromech?" Grodo laughed. "You two really are new here, aren't you? An astromech is just another source of parts. Once your back is turned, it'll be sold for scraps. But not to worry, because I've got a deal for you! Hire me, and I'll watch your ship."

"Watch our ship get stolen, you mean?" Rey was starting to second guess their plan and slowly backed up towards the ship. She noticed Ben had his hand over his mother's lightsaber in the side pocket of his jacket.

"No, no, no! You pay me, and I'll make sure your ship stays safe, untouched by anyone. To prove to you that I'm trustworthy, I'll give you one of my high-value trinkets. Bring the trinket back, along with the credits, and the ship is yours. If you don't return, then the ship is mine. Sounds fair, no?"

"Depends on the trinket and your asking price," Ben replied. Grodo reached into one of the many pockets of his maroon jacket and pulled out a necklace with a locket on it.

"How about this? Do we have a deal?" He handed the trinket to Ben, which was immediately snatched by Rey. She looked at the locket for only a few seconds before tossing it back to Grodo.

"That locket is made of bondite; it isn't worth anything," Rey said, turning to Ben. "We should just check the other moon, maybe we'll have better luck."

"Wait, wait! That was just a test, to see if you knew the value of precious metals. And guess what? You passed! Grodo sees now you know your stuff." Rey rolled her eyes. "How about this instead?" He shuffled threw his pockets again and pulled out another trinket, this one a strange looking ore about the size of Rey's thumb. Rey's eyes lit up when she saw it.

"Is this real pyronium?" she exclaimed.

"That is correct!" Grodo looked proud, though Rey wondered if he would have confirmed the metal no matter what she said.

"You haven't told us how many credits yet," said Ben.

"Right, right. The price. Let's say… 10,000 credits?" Rey instinctively held out her hand to return the pyronium.

"We don't have that kind of credits." Grodo gently pushed her hand away.

"You're a scavenger, right? You can easily find enough items worth 10,000 credits. People are always throwing away valuables. We have a deal now, yes?"

Rey looked at Ben, hoping he had some helpful input.

"We know what we're looking for is here," he said. "And we can't lose the ship."

Rey nodded as she turned back to Grodo. "And what if we can't find 10,000 worth of credits?"

"Then I take your ship." Rey hesitated, but Ben walked past her, holding out a hand to Grodo.

"You have a deal." They shook.

"Good, good! See, Grodo is very reasonable. Now off you go!" He started shooing them away with his hands.

"One more thing," said Rey, not appreciating the rush to leave. "When we get back, we're going to do a thorough check of the ship. If ANYTHING is missing or out of place, then I'm keeping the pyronium."

"We will fight if we have to," Ben added.

"Nothing to worry about!" Grodo chuckled. "Your ship will be just as it is when you return."

Though Rey was cynical, she could still hear the soft hum from the kyber crystal, reminding her that she had a mission to complete, and it had to be here. There was only one option available to them. Grodo. If they hurried, they could get their crystals, pick up enough items to pay Grodo, and be out of there before anything happened to them or the ship.

As they followed the soothing cries of their crystals, Rey noticed that there were a variety of species on the moon; most of them being other Weequays. She would have preferred Jakku over this place, except at least here she wasn't alone.

"It looks like we're going in the same direction, for now," said Ben. "We may have to separate if our crystals are in different areas."

"We'll find out soon enough. My crystal is getting louder for me."

"Same with mine."

They knew they had left the market section of the moon when they were greeted by a giant wall of compressed garbage. There was an opening through the wall where two more Weequays stood. They were obviously waiting for new explorers to enter what appeared to be a labyrinth behind them as they perked up at the sight of Ben and Rey.

"Comrades!" said one of the Weequays. "Do you dare to enter the Labyrinth of Mystery?"

"The labyrinth of what?" Rey asked.

"Mystery!" said the other Weequay. "Because it's a mystery what you will find in there. Will you find treasure, or junk? Will you find your way out, or will you be stuck forever? You'll never know unless you try!"

"Ah yes, but your journey in the Labyrinth of Mystery will be perilous if you go without a guide. Lucky for you, I am here to help you, for the right amount of credits of course."

"I, too, am available for hire. I know this labyrinth inside and out. My fee is higher than my friend over here, but at least you are guaranteed to get out in one piece."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Remember the last time you guided those two Bothans?"

"Oh, yeeeeeah…"

"Actually, we're good," said Rey. "We really don't need a guide."

"That's a very unwise decision."

"Unless you're a Bothan."

"Don't bring that up again. How was I supposed to know there was a nexu in there?"

"You're supposed to know these things!"

"Let's just go," Ben whispered, as they snuck past the arguing Weequays.

Inside the labyrinth, the paths were constantly twisting, turning, and dividing. It only took a few minutes before Rey had no clue which turns she took and how to find her way back. Without the Force as a guide, she could easily see how one could get lost and not find their way out. The walls surrounding them were about four meters high, with a variety of ambiguous objects sticking out from its exterior. Periodically they would come across a ladder leading towards the top.

The crystal's humming became more like a melody the closer she got to it. Rey wondered if it was supposed to resemble something important to her, like a song her mother sung to her when she was a baby. It was so peaceful. And soothing. As the volume increased, so did the speed of her pace as she became more entranced at finding the melody's source. Ben continued to travel in the same direction as her. Perhaps their crystals were near one another? That would give her some peace of mind.

Eventually, the crystal's calling was so loud, Rey knew she was close. She stopped at one of the rickety ladders leaning against the wall and glanced upwards.

"My crystal's up there. I can feel it."

"Mine's up there as well. I'll hold the ladder so you can go up first."

Rey looked at the ladder doubtfully. "Do you think this ladder can hold us?"

"Only one way to find out."

Ben leaned against the edge of the ladder as Rey put her foot on the first rung and pushed down on it. it seemed to support her weight… She moved to the second rung. The ladder was sturdier than it appeared. Feeling more confident in the ladder's capabilities, she began to climb. She was about halfway up when she heard a strange growling noise.

"Did you hear that?" she yelled down at Ben. As if in answer to her question, another strange growl filled the air, but this one was louder. Closer. She noticed Ben was staring in the direction of the sound.

"Rey, climb faster." Rey returned her attention back to the ladder. She could feel it wobble below and could only assume Ben was now climbing.

Her hands met with a grungy plank of wood when she reached the top of the ladder. As she started to push herself upwards, the growling was now a bellow as a massive creature came barreling around the corner, its long pink tongue dangling out of its carnivorous mouth. Being too far up to use her lightsaber, Rey took one of her free hands and used the Force to push the creature away just as it was leaping towards Ben. Ben did the same, one hand clinging to the rail of the ladder. The creature fell backwards, gave a little shake, and was back on its feet, reading itself to pounce again. Ben pulled out his lightsaber, but as he was about to ignite it, it slipped through his fingers clanking on the floor below. He tried to call it back to his hand, but the creature already had its claws in the air, ready to strike. Rey sent it backwards again just in time.

"Keep climbing! I'll hold it back," yelled Rey. She was surprised at how unphased it was, and its persistence. There was no time to think, all she could do was repeat the move while she frantically tried to keep the beast at bay.

When Ben's hands were by her feet, Rey gave one final push to the beast as she pulled herself onto the plank. The creature growled as it hit the ground, while Rey clutched onto Ben's hand to help him up. No sooner was he with her on the plank did the beast make one last attempt to take him as a meal. Ben knocked the ladder down, sending the beast backwards with the ladder shattering on top of it.

"What was that?" asked Rey, as she tried to catch her breath.

"A nexu" said Ben, as his lightsaber flew into the air and back into his outstretched hand. "Getting back down should be easy. Now we just need to find the crystals." He lent a gloved hand to Rey, who took it, slowly standing up. She looked around to see that they were on top of the garbage walls of the labyrinth. Wooden planks laid in scattered directions, creating passages along the garbage's surface. She could see some of the planks were occupied by scavengers who were foraging through the garbage to see what treasures they could find.

"My crystal is this way," said Ben. Rey followed behind him. The planks were not the least bit sturdy on the uneven surface forcing them to walk slowly. Fortunately, Ben didn't walk far until he reached a spot that had a strange, blueish glow emerging from deep underneath, the melody the loudest it had ever been.

"This is my spot." He looked at Rey. "Yours is here, too, isn't it?"

"Yes. But what are the chances we'd find ours together?"

Ben scratched his chin as he kneeled by the light. "If my theory is right, very high."

"What theory…"

"It looks like the crystals are at the bottom. We'll have to work together to make a hole in order to get to them." Rey decided to question him later as she got to her knees next to him. Together, they began lifting pieces of junk, putting them aside away from the hole. Some of the items looked like they could be of value; Rey set those items behind them. The more they moved, the brighter the light underneath became. The light and the melody were what kept Rey motivated. Even with the two of them working, it took quite a bit of energy to create and deepen the hole to a point where she thought they'd never reach the crystals.

At long last, she could see a dull blueish glow at the very bottom of the hole. She and Ben raised their hands over the hole and two crystals shot out into their palms. Rey was surprised at its smallness; the crystal was about the size of her pinky finger. It didn't look very impressive in her palm, either, but she knew this was the real thing as she slipped it in her pocket.

"Ben, you said that we may have to separate, but then you weren't surprised that our crystals were near one another. What did you mean?"

"I wasn't sure what test the Kyber Crystals would give us, which is why I warned you that we may have to separate. However, I've always felt that the Force was pulling us together, so it didn't surprise me that the test would be us collaborating to free them."

"The Force was pulling us… together?"

"Yes. I've always felt that since we first met on Takodana. I just didn't understand it until recently. You've felt it too.?"

Rey wasn't sure if that was meant as a question, or a statement. Blushing, she nodded her head.

"Yeah, I have."

"Then the crystals have confirmed what we already know."

"Which is…?"

Ben smiled. The way he was looking at her, Rey could feel the butterflies dancing in her stomach before he even answered. "That the Force has big plans for us. It wants us together."


	16. Chapter 16: TZ-1702 (Finn & Rose Arc)

Rose watched as one of the ex-stormtroopers, still in full armor, helped himself to some stew that was bubbling in a clay pot over their campfire. With his bowl full, he left the campsite, heading back towards his fellow full-armored comrades. Those who were still hesitant of completely freeing themselves had formed their own support group. The group tended to keep their distance from the others who in return respected their wishes. They reminded Rose of the Mandalorians, though they at least took their helmets off around one another. As Jannah said, it would take time for everyone to readjust in their own way.

Rose, Finn, Jannah, Zin, and a few others were sitting on some rough logs that surrounded the campfire while Finn was telling stories of his adventures. The children were enthralled by Finn's tales, but no one was more captivated than Zin. She was like a child who never grew up, leaning close towards Finn so she wouldn't miss a single word. One shy little girl had strayed away from the other children and was pressed up against Rose's side. Rose had never heard the girl speak but was flattered that she had taken a liking to her, whatever the reason might be.

"I'm standing on the ramp of the Falcon, and I see Kylo Ren reaching a hand out towards Rey, and Rey's just staring at him, as if considering of taking it. I immediately call out to her, and she turns away without a second thought and runs towards me. Ren looks stupefied as she jumps on the ramp and we scramble aboard the Falcon. As quickly as we can, we take off before he can react to what had just happened."

"Oooooo!" responded Zin. "Then what happens?"

"I think we should give Finn a break," said Jannah. "He's been telling stories since he got here." The children pleaded, but Jannah shook her head. "That won't work. You can hear more tomorrow. Now off with you!" They groaned in disappointment as they left the campfire and headed towards bed. The little girl next to Rose gave her a quiet hug before accompanying the others. Jannah grinned as she turned towards Finn, her face lighting up in the firelight. "I'll get you some stew."

"Oh, I can get it for him, Jannah." As Rose was about to get up, Jannah stood in front of her blocking the way.

"Don't worry, Rose, I don't mind. You've had a long day, too."

"Thanks, Jannah," said Finn.

"But Finn's stories are soo sooo soooooo good!," exclaimed Zin, who hadn't budged. "I want to hear more!"

"How about you get some sleep, too?" Jannah suggested, as she put some stew in a bowl.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Zin said reluctantly, as she stood up and stretched. "You'll tell us the rest tomorrow, right, Finn?"

"You got it."

"Good! Well, then, good night everybody!" Zin's mood did a 180 as she skipped off.

"I still can't believe they never killed her off," said one of the ex-stormtroopers to another.

"She was in my squadron," replied the other. "If you told her to do something, she'd do it, no questions asked. Her shots were perfect and she rarely missed. There was a rumor that she might have been using the Force unknowingly, but whether that was true or not didn't matter. She was loyal to the First Order. It wasn't until Supreme Leader Snoke was killed did she start questioning the First Order's motives, but by then everything was getting crazy and I lost contact with her."

"Ah, that makes more sense. She reminds me a lot of TZ-1702. He was in our squadron."

"I heard about him. If he was in your squadron, did you actually witness it?"

"Yeah, Jannah and I both did. It obviously didn't work since a bunch of us were still able to resist the First Order and escape. He still haunts my dreams, though. I'll never get his face out of my mind."

"What happened to TZ…." Rose started, suddenly realizing she couldn't remember his numbers. Judging by the expressions on their faces, they didn't know she had been listening and she felt overcome with embarrassment for eavesdropping.

"1702."

"Right. Sorry, I didn't mean to overhear. It's just that…there's very little I know about the First Order from a stormtrooper's perspective. Finn doesn't like to talk about it, so I can only put together bits and pieces."

"You're Rose, right?"

"Yeah."

"I'm Taz," said the ex-stormtrooper from Jannah's squadron.

"And I'm Thirty," said the other. "As you probably gathered, the First Order had a very strict regime. Stormtroopers had to fit the mold or we would jeopardize their missions and everyone involved. You did as you were told because the consequences were unthinkable." He glanced up at Taz. "You know more about TZ-1702 than I did. Do you want to tell her?"

"I can tell her." Taz stared at the fire as he struggled to compose himself with reviving a very disturbing memory. He cleared his throat, "TZ-1702 was a rebellious boy in our squadron. He was always pulling pranks, showing off, disobeying orders. Punishments did nothing to him. Sometimes we wondered if he actually enjoyed them with how often he'd get into trouble.

"Then one day, while we're having breakfast, we notice 1702 isn't there. It wasn't anything that unusual if he was being punished and was forced to skip a meal or two. However, for some reason it made us anxious, like we knew something was different. Something was off. That's when Captain Phasma came in. It was the first time we had met her as she rarely got involved with the young stormtroopers-in-training. Out of respect, talking abruptly ended as we all stood up from our seats. I can still hear every word that she said.

'"As you may have noticed, TZ-1702 isn't here with you today. That is because you are in for a very special treat. TZ-1702 has agreed to put on a… show for you. You will follow me now."'

"We all left the mess hall as we marched behind her. There were some whispers of excitement about getting to see a show and what it would be about, while others were whispering concerns of what this all meant and why someone of Captain Phasma's rank was involved. I was with the latter.

"Captain Phasma lead us into a room that had raised seating in front of a stage below. A glass wall separated the audience from the stage. Only part of the stage was lit up, the back and sides were all in darkness. As soon as we were all seated, 1702 came into the light, wearing a top out and holding a wooden hoop. I knew something was up, so I can't really remember what the show was about. He did some tricks, and some of us would ooo and aaah. The whole thing felt so out of place from our training. Why were they letting him do this?

"Then, while he's in the middle of some 'daring' act, we see a bunch of stormtroopers who had been hiding in the dark areas of the stage step forward; there's about twenty of them. 1702 doesn't seem to hear them and continues with his performance. We watch in horror as they raise their blasters, all pointed directly at him. He must not have been able to hear us either, because he smiled as if he thought we were excited about whatever trick he was about to perform. I still remember that goofy grin on his face right before he fell to the ground, his body smoking from the twenty blasts that struck him.

"Some of us gasped in horror and a couple screamed. Captain Phasma marched in front of us while the stormtroopers dragged TZ-1702's body into the darkness behind her.

'"Let this be a lesson. There is no room in the First Order for insubordination. You follow orders, or you will end up like your little friend. Is that understood?"'

"We all silently agreed. I don't think any of us were very close with TZ-1702, but it shook us to the core. After that, we stayed more focused on our trainings than ever before, being extra cautious not to step an inch out of line so we wouldn't have a similar fate like TZ-1702."

"That's horrible," said Rose.

"That's the First Order," replied Thirty. "If Zin wasn't a good shooter or didn't follow instructions, there is no way she would still be alive."

Rose glanced up from their conversation and noticed that Finn and Jannah were both gone.

"Where did Finn go?"

Thirty shrugged, "Probably to bed. It is getting late. Taz, can you help me put out the fire?"

"Sure," Taz responded, shaking his head as if that would re-block the memory of TZ-1702. "It was nice meeting you, Rose."

"Likewise."

Rose was more tired than she realized. The story of TZ-1702 was disturbing but unsurprising. What kind of horrors did Finn witness? Was he trying to block them out? If so, was he successful? He didn't talk about it, so it was hard to tell. She couldn't imagine what his life was like growing up in the First Order.

As she was making her way back to the Corellian corvette, she and Finn agreeing to stay there until they were better acquainted with the new residents of Kef Bir, some noises in the darkness nearby caught her attention. She turned to see two figures happily embraced with one another, the sounds of pleasure subtle but evident. Love was certainly in the air for someone! Pushing TZ-1702's story aside and letting curiosity get the better of her, she moved closer to see that the figures were Finn and Jannah.

Rose slowly stepped back and turned away. She felt hurt. Crushed. Angry. Devastated. Enraged. But why? She had no reason to feel this way. The tears came in a flood as she quickly wiped her face with her sleeve. She and Finn had agreed that it was better to be just friends… so why was she so upset? Why did she want to tackle Jannah to the ground and scream at her?

Amongst the dizziness in her head, a thought came to her. A cruel thought. She knew it was wrong, but it kept nagging at her. Urging her to get revenge. To make Jannah pay. Rose would probably regret it, but she didn't care. Feeling like she was floating out of her body and had no control over her actions, she made her way back to the campsite.


	17. Chapter 17: The Horrible Mistake F&R Arc

"Thank you, Master Finn for allowing me to accompany you, today. Are you sure they do not have blasters?"

"I keep telling you, they do not have blasters. You'll be fine." Finn was actually not sure if they had blasters or not, but the droid didn't need to know that. He was hoping C-3PO could reach out to some of the more reclusive ex-stormtroopers; if anything, he'd annoy them enough where they'd want to speak just to get the droid to stop.

The campsite was full of activity as people were bustling around with their morning routines. Jannah was sitting on one of the logs by the campfire leaning against Lando, their backs towards Finn. Finn marveled at the undertakings she and Lando had made so far. They had built a rather nice community, everyone coming from similar backgrounds and having similar dreams of starting the next chapter of their lives.

"Good morning, Jannah!" he said cheerfully. She turned, her face glimmering with tears and obvious signs of distress.

"Oh dear, what's wrong?" asked the droid.

"Jannah…"

Lando got up. "I'll give you two a minute to catch him up. Mind if I take a look around the Corellian corvette?"

"Suit yourself. Rose might still be asleep though."

"I'm not," said Rose, as she came up behind Finn. "R2 is still on the ship, so you might want to forewarn him before you go poking around."

"Thanks for the heads up," said Lando.

"I'll accompany you, if that's all right with Master Finn."

"It's fine." Whatever was wrong with Jannah, Finn knew his mission with C-3PO would have to be put on hold. Did he do something wrong to upset her last night? He didn't think so, but what would have made her so distraught?

"Oh, good. I feel this current situation does not warrant a protocol droid," said C-3PO, corroborating with Finn's presumption.

"Just come back when you're done. I need you."

"Of course."

Finn watched the droid and Lando depart as he sat down next to Jannah while Rose took a seat on an adjacent log. Finn cringed uneasily. If his theory was right, Rose's presence would make things even more…awkward….

"Rose, do you think you could give Jannah and I a minute?"

"Actually," sniffed Jannah, "I'd rather Rose be here, if you don't mind, Finn."

Maybe he was mistaken? "Ok…" He cupped her right hand between his. "Talk to me, Jannah. What's wrong?"

Jannah wiped her face with her sleeves as she looked down at her knees. "Everything. I thought I was really getting through to people, you know? I thought everyone was happy, but I guess I did something wrong, but I don't know what."

"What are you talking about? That doesn't make any sense!"

"I know it doesn't. I found this in my tent this morning." Jannah handed Finn a crumpled-up piece of paper. "Pass that to Rose when you're done." The ink on the paper was smudged, but it was still legible.

"Kylo Ren is alive, and he is coming." It was short, simple, and threatening. Why? Why would someone write this? Who would want to jeopardize all of Jannah's accomplishments? None of it made sense.

"How do you know this was meant for you?"

"Look at the back." He turned the paper and saw her name clearly written on it. The questions floated through Finn's mind again, but he had no logical answer to them. Nobody Finn had met seemed disturbed enough to do something like this. He thought he had been introduced to everyone, but perhaps there was someone he missed who had resentment for Jannah? Or maybe he didn't read someone right? They'd only been there a short time, so that was a likely possibility.

"Finn… is it…is it…true?" Jannah stuttered as he handed the paper over to Rose. Finn was beginning to get a better understanding of where Rey was coming from. If he told Jannah the truth, it could cause unnecessary panic and unravel her hard work. If he didn't tell her, they were going to eventually find out when Ben arrived, and that would inevitably result in her distrusting him. There was no easy answer, but Finn knew the right one; he wasn't going to make the same mistake as Rey.

"Let's talk somewhere more private."

They reconvened in Jannah's tent. Rose handed Jannah back the note and tried to leave, but Jannah gently took her arm.

"Please stay, Rose. You and Finn know more about this than I do."

"Yeah, you can fill in anything that I miss," Finn concurred, as Rose hesitantly took a seat next to Jannah. Finn took a deep breath. "This is a lot to take in, Jannah, so here it goes." He then explained everything Rey had told them, focusing on the more important facts Jannah should be aware of. Rose piped up here and there, but otherwise she just nodded in agreement.

"So that's the gist of it," said Finn as he finished up the story.

"Let me get this straight," said Jannah, "Kylo Ren, the persona, is dead, but the actual person is alive and goes by Ben Solo now, correct?"

"That's one way to put it," said Rose.

"That is … mind-boggling. How many people here know about this?"

"Just me and Rose."

"Then the person who wrote this note doesn't know the truth." Jannah let out a frustrated sigh. "Which means we're back to square one. This note was meant as a threat, just an empty one."

"Can you think of anyone here who might be angry with you for some reason?"

Jannah shook her head. "No, I can't! Like I said, I thought everyone here was happy so far. My only guess is that it's someone who is still wearing their full armor. They seemed to be doing ok, but I haven't interacted with them as much."

"We should go talk to them first. We need to get this settled as soon as possible so it doesn't get out of hand."

"Agree," said Jannah, as she rose to her feet.

"It's not them," said Rose, quietly.

"How do you know that, Rose?" asked Finn. "Unless… do you know who wrote this?"

"Yeah. I do. It was me."

"You wrote this?"

Before Rose could respond, Finn came to her defense; it was clear to him why she was being even more quiet than usual. "No. There's no way Rose would have written this. I know her. She's not that stupid or mean. She has to be covering for someone." He turned to Rose. "That's why you tried to leave; you didn't want to be involved more than you already were, right? So who really wrote the note? It's just you, me, and Jannah here, so you can tell us."

"I'm the one who wrote the note."

"Ok… let's try this a different way. Who told you to write the note?"

"No one."

"No one," Finn paused. "So… no one enticed you to do this? No blackmail?"

"That's correct."

"Rose… why would you do something like this?" Jannah's voice was shaking. Nothing Rose was saying made any sense to either of them.

"I don't know."

"You don't know," Finn repeated. "Rose… Do you know what you've done?"

Rose nodded.

"Do you really? Because I don't think that you do." Finn was surrounded by two distraught ladies, but only one rightfully deserved comforting. He would have put an arm around Jannah, but he was too angry with Rose to give her the consoling she needed right now. "You say you don't know why you wrote this note? What kind of lame excuse is that?" Rose held her head down in shame. She mumbled something inaudible. "What did you say?"

"Nothing."

"You said something, Rose. Out with it!"

"I… I…"

"Just go. I don't want to look at you right now." Rose looked up at him briefly and he could see the humiliation on her face before she dashed out of the tent, pushing Zin aside as she took off towards the woods.

"Zin?"

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop. I was passing by and I heard you talking and…"

"Zin, how much of that did you hear?" asked Finn.

"All of it, I think."

"Please don't tell anyone, Zin," said Jannah. "I need to process everything to figure out what to do next."

"I won't. Would it be ok if I talk to Rose?"

"I certainly don't have anything to say to her!"

"Go for it, Zin. Maybe you can figure out why she wrote the note." Zin nodded and left.

Finn began pacing the room. This was not the Rose he knew. Rose was kind and caring. She wouldn't threaten someone or try to undue all that they've accomplished. It was completely out of character. How could she be so reckless, so stupid, so mean-spirited? And why?

"Finn," Jannah said, as she gently took ahold of his hand.

"What?" he snapped, quickly realizing he was being snippy to the completely wrong person. "Oh, sorry, Jannah. I'm just..."

"Mad at Rose."

"Yeah. She's been acting strange lately, but this… I don't know what's gotten into her."

"I know," said Jannah.

"What?"

"She saw us. Last night." This caught him off guard and made him laugh.

"No. I see where you are going, but Rose and I decided to just be friends a long time ago. Even if she did see us, there's no way she'd be jealous."

Jannah wrapped her arms around his neck while he subconsciously placed his arms on her waist. "How are you sure?"

"Because I know Rose. She's not the jealous type."

"She's also not the type to write threatening notes and stick it in other people's tents?"

"You got me there."

"Look, Finn. What she did was terrible, there's no questioning about that. But there's obviously something bothering her. You should go talk to her. Besides, she might need some rescuing after Zin."

"I'm too upset to talk to her right now."

"I can calm you down," said Jannah, as she pressed her soft lips against his. It only lasted a few seconds, but Finn could feel his anger melt away. "You really have a way with people. Rey, Rose, me. I even got the sense Poe had a thing for you the first time we met."

"We're all just friends," said Finn sheepishly.

Jannah grinned. "So you say, but you've touched a lot of lives, whether you meant to or not. Look, Finn, I'm not in any competition. You have to follow your heart." She put her palms on his chest. "Listen to what it's telling you and trust its guidance."

"What about you?"

"I'll be fine. No matter what happens, I believe everything will work out for the better. I have to believe that. This is just a… hiccup. It could have been much worse."

"Yeah, it could have been…."

"But it wasn't," Jannah quickly added. She smiled, her beauty unquestioningly stunning, inside and out. Whatever man she'd settle down with would be lucky for sure, even if it wasn't him. "Now, go find Rose," she continued. "Good luck, Finn!"


	18. Chapter 18: Confessions (Rey & Ben Arc)

At long last, Ben could see, and hear, the two Weequays chit chatting loudly by the entrance of the labyrinth. Behind him, Rey was dragging a huge piece of scrap metal loaded with a variety of items they found through their plundering on top of the labyrinth's walls. Hopefully these items would satisfy their agreement with Grodo, provide the supplies they need to build their new lightsabers, and, if they were really lucky, have some extra credits left over. It was a lot to hope for, but hope was all they had.

Behind Rey, a small parade of sentient species had congregated, eager to be free from the labyrinth's confinements. After they found their kyber crystals, Rey and Ben had spent the rest of the day scavenging, exploring different areas of the labyrinth as they progressed with their hunt of carelessly discarded resources. The nexu had wandered off the first time they returned to the surface of the labyrinth, but it didn't take long for it to find them again. This time, with his hands free, it charged and ran straight through Ben's lightsaber. The aroma from the nexu's freshly sliced flesh was quite pungent as it quickly manifested throughout their maze, making its death well-known to anyone in the vicinity. That's when two curious Ithorians timidly emerged. At first, the Ithorians kept a safe distance from Rey and Ben. When it became apparent the humans knew what they were doing, their party continued to gradually expand. How long had these sentients been stuck in the labyrinth? Ben didn't know and it was one of the last things on his mind; he had to stay focused on helping Rey, though her unusual behavior was puzzling him.

Since they found their crystals, she seemed off. Distracted. When Ben tried questioning her to figure out what was wrong, Rey gave short, curt answers in response. He kept pushing, hoping she'd willingly open up to him, but instead he got the opposite reaction as she became more irritated, insisting she was ok when she clearly wasn't. It was all so strange. The crystal hunting was her idea, so he thought she'd be more relieved that they found them rather easily. Instead she seemed to be more anxious than before.

"Oh, ho, look who it is?"

"You made it! And you brought a… crew?"

"Where did they all come from?"

"That's obvious. The labyrinth."

"That's not what I meant. Did you know how many were in there?"

"I did not. Maybe we should create a search party. If they need us to get out, we'd get more business."

"Oh, ho! Now that's a good idea!"

Ben didn't acknowledge either of the inattentive Weequays as they excitedly continued their conversation while he and the others exited the maze. The party behind them dispersed in various directions, while Rey ran ahead, dragging their treasures behind her. Ben rolled his eyes as he followed close behind.

"Grodo!" she called. Grodo gave her a little wave.

"I'm still here, and so is your ship, just as you left it! Ooo, what have we here?" Rey whacked his greedy hand as Grodo recoiled from reaching for one of the items. "Hey!"

"No touching. I'm going to do a thorough check of the ship first."

"You still have my pyronium?"

Rey pulled it out of her pocket. "I do, but it stays with me until I'm done. I'm going to look over the outside before it gets dark. Ben, do you mind staying with Grodo?"

"You're talking to me again?" Rey gave him a dangerous look, clearly unpleased. "Fine. But you're going to talk to me when you're done."

"Fine." Rey got on her hands and knees and went under the ship in a huff.

"Trouble in paradise?" Unamused, Ben glared at Grodo who simply shrugged. "Just asking. Anyways, what she's doing is a waste of time. But whatever makes her happy and reassured on Grodo's honesty is fine with me."

"What do you mean by 'waste of time'? And since when have Weequays been known to be honest?"

"Weequays are always honest. We just might… forget bits of information here and there. It's your own fault if you come to the wrong conclusions. As for the girl, I knew who she was right away. I saw the lightsaber. Jedi are very rare these days, and a scavenger Jedi, even rarer."

"If you knew who she was, why did you try giving her that bondite locket?"

"Like I said, it was a test."

"I find that hard to believe."

"Why would Grodo lie? Now you… I'm not sure about you." He glanced towards Ben's lightsaber. "You are also a Jedi, no?"

"Not quite."

"Ah. First Order?"

"Not all lightsaber owners were part of the First Order or the Resistance."

"That is true. They could also be in hiding, like Skywalker. Or dead. Or both."

Before Ben could respond, Rey popped out from the side of the ship. "The ship looks good so far. Now to check the inside."

"You're not a very trusting girl, are you?"

"I was a scavenger on Jakuu. What do you think?"

"I think if you were more trusting, you'd be dead."

"Exactly." Rey climbed into the ship where BB-8 greeted her with a series of delighted beeps. "I missed you, too," she said as she gently patted the Astromech before disappearing into the bowls of the ship.

"I get the feeling I would not want to be on her bad side."

"You're finally right about something."

"Hey! I take offense to that. Grodo is right about a lot of things!"

"Comrade!" interrupted one of the two Weequays, who were clearly done with their labyrinth guarding duties.

"Friends!" The three Weequays patted each other on the backs.

"Did you lose anyone today?"

"Nah, business was slow. But that guy," he pointed towards Ben, "came out with several sentients who had gotten lost."

"Though we can't feel sorry for anyone who turns down our services. They had their chance."

"But what about those two Both…"

"Don't go there."

"But we have a new plan! Instead of providing our excellent guiding services through the labyrinth, we will provide our excellence guiding services to get them out!"

"They are always so eager to enter on their own, poo pooing us, saying they're not going to pay for a guide, but then they get lost."

"That's when we'll come in to save them!"

"For a small fee, of course."

"Hard to refuse when you could be trapped forever."

"Easy way to earn credits!"

"That's an excellent idea!" said Grodo.

"Come, join us for some drinks, and we can tell you more."

"I have to stay here just a bit longer." The ship's engines started to rev up, but then quickly shut down. "But not too much longer."

"Grodo!" Rey shouted, as she came off the ship, arms folded. "Everything looks good, but our fuel tank seems to be empty. Care to explain yourself?"

"So much for being trustworthy," mumbled Ben.

"Grodo is trustworthy! You never asked if I emptied your fuel tank so you wouldn't take off and leave Grodo with nothing. You don't trust me, Grodo doesn't trust you either."

"I want our fuel!" Rey demanded.

"You'll get it, but in the morning. The market is closed for the night so we'll speak to my dear friend, Rotta, tomorrow. Rotta will give you the best offers, guaranteed! If you have the right amount of credits we agreed to, we'll make our exchanges then. For now, you are staying here. No sneaking off without paying." He wagged a finger at Rey. There was no use arguing; they each had things the other wanted and there was nothing they could do about it tonight.

Grodo turned towards his comrades, but as they started to leave he stopped abruptly and pointed towards the sky. "See that bright star there? Do you know what it is?" Rey stepped down and looked up to where Grodo was pointing.

"No, I don't."

"That star was Ilum. They call it Solo, named after a famous smuggler who died on Ilum before it blew up. Interesting, no?"

Neither responded. Ben could hear the Weequays shuffle away as he kept his eyes attached to the star above. He couldn't pull his gaze away from it, even though it reminded him of the his dreadful transgression. His father had given him life, and in mere seconds he took his father's life away with little hesitation. All that was left were his memories, and now this star. Solo…

"Ben?" He released his gaze from Solo and turned to Rey. "You're right, we do need to talk." Ben nodded while Rey took a deep breath. "You know how I told you that I have trouble sleeping because I have bad dreams?"

"Yes."

"Well, my dreams are usually 'what if' scenarios. Like, what if I joined forces with you when you first offered on Ilum? Or what if I took your hand the times you reached out to me? Usually after I've embraced the dark side, I'm… happy."

"Happy?"

"Yeah, not what you'd expect. I think it's because I finally feel like someone and not just some girl barely getting by on Jakuu. I have all of this new, raw power, and I can use it any way I want to. It isn't until my friends are all dead, many by my own hands, that I start to realize what I've become. Then I'm filled with all of this torment and grief because I can't undo what I've done. Even after I wake up, I'm shaking and struggling to catch my breath. It always takes me a few moments to realize it was just a dream."

Ben wasn't sure how to respond to that. Maybe she needed a hug and some comforting? He took a step closer to her and she responded with a large step back. Nope, no hugs.

"I'm glad you're telling me this, but I sense there's more."

"There is. When we found our crystals, you said you felt like the Force was pulling us together."

"Right, and I thought you said you felt it, too?"

"I did. I do. But then you said the Force had plans for us, that it wanted us together. Like it's part of our destiny."

"Right, that's because it is."

Rey shook her head. "Then why?"

"Why wha…"

"Why did you break into my mind? Why did you invade my personal thoughts and then use them against me? Why did you tell me I was nobody, that I was nothing? If this whole time you thought the Force was trying to bring us together, why did you work so hard to hurt me, to bring me down? And I don't want to hear it was because of the dark side, or because you wanted to find Luke Skywalker. There were alternatives, but you chose me. The nightmares… I can't make them stop. I've tried. So why… why did you want me to join you and the dark side so badly?" All of that anger Rey had been storing inside for so long exploded out all at once, like a detonator that had just been activated. It could not be contained.

Ben reached for her hand, but as soon as his fingers touched her skin, she recoiled. He watched her helplessly; there was nothing he could do or say that would undo the damage he had inflicted on her.

"I did it because I wanted power. I wanted control. And it infuriated me that I couldn't control you." He could feel his voice cracking; her pain and suffering was invading him as well. "My peers looked down upon me, Snoke looked down upon on me. No matter how hard I tired, I could never be seen as an equal. As much as I hate saying it …" He paused. He knew he had to be honest with her, but it was going to be harrowing to do so. Though he suspected she knew the truth already, hearing the words out loud would make them all the more real. "The truth is… belittling you made me feel better about myself. It felt good to know there was actually someone who had untamed power similar to my own but was still inferior to me. It was finally my turn to be the superior one. That is why I became obsessed in getting you to join me and to embrace the dark side. I wanted you convinced that you needed me as much as I wanted you. That way, I wouldn't be alone anymore, and I'd still be in control.

"It was selfish and cruel, I know. Like I said, I had feelings for you, but I didn't fully understand them until I ridded myself of Kylo Ren. I can't tell you how much I regret the things that I have done, especially what I've done to you. I'm sorry, Rey. I am so…sorry!" Now he was breaking down. He felt pathetic, but like Rey, he had an array of emotions inside of him that were ready to burst out, and burst they did.

Neither one looked at the other while they released all of the negative energy they had allowed to well up inside of them; it was long overdue.

"Um, excuse me?" squeaked a Twi'lek, one of their followers from the labyrinth. "Am I interrupting?" She was, but it was a needed distraction.

"No," said Rey, as she wiped her face with her sleeve. "What can we do for you?"

"Oh, nothing for me. You've done enough. There's a group of us staying the night as we have work to do when the markets upon in the morning. We have gathered together the provisions we have left and we are making a little meal. We would love for you to join us, as a token of gratitude for freeing us from the labyrinth. It isn't much, but it's all we have to offer."

"I would love to join you," said Rey.

"As would I, if that's all right…" He glanced nervously at Rey, wondering if she'd prefer to go alone.

"We'll be right there, we just need a moment. Thank you."

"No, thank you!" The Twi'lek left, visibly pleased with herself.

Once she was out of earshot, Rey was the first to break the uncomfortable silence. "I know that must have been hard for to say. It seems like we have a lot in common. We were both lonely and we didn't want to feel insignificant, like we were nobodies, anymore. Our solutions were just…different."

"Different is an understatement."

Rey chuckled. "True, but I do feel much better getting everything out in the open."

"Same. Rey, I really am so…" Rey took ahold of his hand, stopping him.

"I know. I'm just… scared."

"Me, too."

"You are?"

"Of course I am! I'm scared of hurting you again. Or worse, losing you. I really don't want you to be afraid of me anymore."

"I don't want to be afraid either. But like we've said before, it will take time."

"Yes, time." They smiled at each other; a much better change from their prior sentiments.

"Shall we put the things we found on the ship and join the others for some food?"

Rey grinned. "That sounds perfect!"


	19. Chapter 19: Just Sleep? (Rey & Ben Arc)

Rey could feel her mind starting to stir. That must have been some of the best sleep she had had in a long time.

How long was she out?

Better question, where was she?

She was on the Falcon, but not on Ajan Kloss.

No, this was Ilum's moon.

That's right.

Everything was starting to come back to her. They found their kyber crystals and had done some extensive treasure hunting. Then they shared a meal that night with sentients who had been stuck in the labyrinth. Rey had mentioned her sleeping woes, and someone had offered her a powerful tea she'd never heard of to help her sleep. The last thing she remembered was politely accepting the tea, finding it to be an acquired, bitter taste, but desperate to try anything. After that, her mind was blank. Ben must have taken her back to the ship.

As her mind began piecing together her last conscious events, she became aware that she was leaning against something soft and warm that was moving rhythmically. It made her feel completely at ease. Relaxed. There was an arm wrapped around her, holding her gently. Protecting her.

Wait…

Alarmed, she jabbed her elbow to free herself from the arm and scrambled away as far as she could get. Ben shot up, clenching his chest at the sudden pain he was enduring.

"OW! What was that for?"

Rey stared at him horrified, feeling very little pity for her reaction.

"What happened last night?" she demanded.

Ben looked at her perplexed. "You fell asleep almost immediately after drinking that tea, so I carried you back to the ship."

"And?"

"I put you in one of the beds and I slept up here in case Grodo tried to pull anything. You must have come up in the middle of the night."

She honestly couldn't remember anything after the tea, and felt confident Ben was telling the truth. However, her mind wouldn't be at ease until she could get verification.

"So after we got back to the ship, all we did was sleep?"

"Yes!"

"And nothing else happened?"

"No! What else do you think would happen…. Oh." She could see on his face the realization of her concerns coming to light. It made her feel embarrassed; his mind never went there, but hers did. "Ooooooh. No, no, we just slept, that was it. I'd never do that…" Ben lunged for his shirt on the floor and hurriedly put it back on.

"Oh good, that's a relief," Rey could feel herself start to relax. "I mean, I didn't think you would do anything while I was asleep, but when I woke up next to you, I was… not that I don't want to. That is, I don't, not now, maybe someday, but…." It would probably be in her best interest if she stopped talking. Fortunately, there was a loud knock on the side of the ship that changed their focus. BB-8 gave a little jump; Rey didn't know droids could do that.

"Grodo is here, and the market is about to open!"

Rey quickly got to her feet and opened the door of the ship.

"Greetings, friends! Oh, what happened here?" Grodo was looking over her shoulder where Ben was on the floor with a couple of blankets next to him while BB-8 was bobbing around the scene.

"It's nothing." She pointed to the two piles of treasures they had assembled on the floor. "The bigger one is what we want to sell at the market."

"And the smaller one?"

"Personal use."

"Lightsabers?"

"Yes… but how did you know?"

"Rey, you can't fool old Grodo here. A jedi who was a scavenger on Jakku?" He chuckled. "The lightsaber on your belt was another giveaway. Discreetness is not one of your strong points, I'm afraid." Rey frowned. He had a good point.

"I'll stay here and watch the ship," said Ben. "I can start constructing our lightsabers and see what other supplies we may need."

"That is an excellent idea," said Grodo. "You should definitely be the one to stay behind."

"Wait... though I agree with Ben, why do you?"

Grodo smiled as he nodded towards Ben. "It took old Grodo awhile, but I eventually figured you out, too. Your parents and Rotta's father did not get along, no?"

"Not at all. I've met Rotta once; I don't think he would be pleased to see me again."

Rey could feel her confusion deepen. "Who was Rotta's father?" She loved Ben's parents as if they were very much her own; any enemies of theirs was an enemy of hers. Her leeriness of Grodo's market buddy was rising.

"Jabba the Hutt." Jabba the Hutt… she had heard of the name before. He was some sort of crime lord from Tatooine, but that was all she knew.

"So Rotta is a Hutt?"

"Of course Rotta is a Hutt! If you want to get the best prices on the market, negotiating with a Hutt is the only way to go. Now come, Rotta does not like to be kept waiting!"

Rey gathered their belongings and followed Grodo off the ship. Part of her wished Ben could have joined them; it would have been nice to have his company. At the same time, after their morning conversation, she was relieved to get away.


	20. Chapter 20: Lightsaber Woes (R & B Arc)

Ben watched Rey go before he closed the door of the Falcon. He felt mixed up on Rey's reaction that morning; he was delightfully surprised to see that she was seeing him in a more passionate way, but at the same time, he was hurt that she would even think he'd take advantage of her. Not that he could blame her. They had their rough pasts; he as Kylo Ren who had made every effort to manipulate and hurt her. She, a girl who had grown up alone most of her life and had more experience interacting with deceitful people than ones who showed her kindness. It made sense she would have jumped to the wrong conclusion, though it hurt just the same. Maybe going with Grodo would help distract her and put her mind in a clearer place. Though if she never met a Hutt before, she was going to be in for a big surprise.

He sat down on the floor and started sorting through the different components he and Rey had collected the other day. This was the first time he would be building a lightsaber of his own. The first lightsaber he owned was his Uncle's, and before that his grandfather. Though he cherished the family heirloom, it never really was his own. As for Kylo Ren's lightsaber… well, anything even close to that would be avoided. He had always found it easy to wield its power, but it never felt quite right, like it was missing something. He was sure that he never was able to use it to its full potential. True, the kyber crystal was artificial, but Ben was still a part of Kylo Ren that never really died, and Ben's persistence prevented the dark side from completely taking over. If Ben was truly dead, that lightsaber would have been a weapon of even more mass destruction than it already was.

Ben pushed the negative thoughts of his past aside. He had to focus on the lightsaber he wanted now, not what he had in the past. There was one design that had always intrigued him: double blades. That is what he was going to make.

As Ben shuffled through the parts, he felt a pull towards certain pieces. The feeling was strange, yet familiar. He closed his eyes and let them call out to him, instructing him where to go. Putting all of his focus on the lightsaber that defined him, he could hear the pieces click and snap together. When he opened his eyes, the nearly completed weapon was sitting in the palms of his hands. He reached into his pocket, pulled out his kyber crystal, and placed it inside the crystal energy chamber. The final touch.

He turned it back and forth between his hands. It felt right, looked right. This was definitely HIS. But a thought that had been nagging at the back of his mind all morning refused to be pushed aside any longer. He dropped the lightsaber and watched it clank on the floor. If he ignited it, what color would the blade be? What if the blade was red and he had just built a Sith lightsaber? It came together so easily, surely the dark side didn't interfere. Right? But what if what came naturally to him was still the dark side, trying to pull him back?

Rey swung open the door.

"We're baaaaaack!" Grodo said from behind her. "My comrades are returning your fuel as promised. As for me?" He gave Rey a little nudge.

"Here," Rey pulled out the pyronium from her pocked and handed it back to Grodo.

"Pleasure doing business with you. See? We all play nice, and there's no problem. Everyone gets what they want. You will come back again, no?"

"Not anytime soon."

"Eh, I figured as much. Well then, this is good bye, friends!" He closed the door and left.

"I'm so glad that's done!" Rey said, the tone of relief apparent in her voice. "Grodo's been paid. We didn't get as many extra credits as I would have liked, but we do have some. I should have guessed that Hutts weren't the most pleasant-smelling creatures, almost worse than a Crolute …"

"Hutts are not known for smelling like roses."

Rey nodded. "I'd still prefer working with Rotta than Unkar Plutt." Ben watched her eyes drift towards the lightsaber lying on the floor by his knees.

"Did you finish it already?"

"I had to make some compromises, but it should work."

"Compromises?" Rey raised a concerned eyebrow. "You haven't tried it yet?"

"No." Ben picked up the lightsaber and got to his feet.

"That's good, because if you made compromises, it'd be best to not try it out. From my research, if you don't build them correctly, they can explode, particularly with parts like the magnetic stabilizing ring. If you don't think it's stable, I'm sure we can find what we need in Tatooine."

"I know it's stable. That's not my concern."

"Oh?"

"I'm concerned that even though we are a dyad in the force and found our crystals together, my crystal could still be red."

Ben watched her slowly mouth the word 'dyad,' before she quickly took his hands into her own.

"Ben, I'm sure it isn't. You're not Kylo Ren anymore."

"How can you be sure?"

"Because I am. It won't be red." Ben tentatively looked down at the lightsaber in his hand, Rey's fingers delicately touching it's surface. "I'm sorry about the other night and this morning," Rey continued. "You're Ben, not Ren. I know that, but sometimes I get… confused? I'm not sure if that's the quite right word to describe it. But like you said, we are a dyad, and our crystals have a connection together. If your lightsaber is red, mine will be as well. You won't know what color it will be unless you try." She let go of his hands and took a couple of steps back. "As long as you are sure it's not going to explode."

Ben snickered. "It won't explode. Thanks, Rey." Ben held his lightsaber in his hands, took a deep breath, and ignited it. For a split second, he thought he saw crimson blades coming out from both ends, but then he realized it was actually orange, like a Tatooine sunset. He gave a sigh of relief as he turned it off.

"It worked!" said Rey with enthusiasm "I love the double blades. I wasn't sure what design you would be going for, but I like it. And see? It wasn't red!"

Rey wrapped her arms around him, putting her head against his chest.

"I really am sorry," she said, as he put his arms around her waist.

"There's nothing to be sorry about."

He wanted to say more. He wanted to tell her just how much she meant to him, but all he could do was silently mouth the words from his heart that refused to become sound.

* * *

_Author's Notes:_

_Bonus Chapter tomorrow (Saturday, EST)! Trying to get back in the swing of things._


	21. Chapter 21: Stormtrooper's POV (R&F Arc)

Rose ran as far as she could until she reached the edge of the forest and her lungs couldn't take the pressure anymore. She took long, heaving breaths, her face damp with tears and sweat. She had never seen Finn so angry before. At her. And she knew she deserved it. What was she thinking? Why did she feel so jealous witnessing that stupid kiss? Why did she have to hurt Jannah, who had been nothing but nice to her? Rose punched the nearest tree in her frustration. Ow!

The sound of feet shuffling in the grass behind her drew her attention away from her self-guilt. Rose didn't even look up.

"Please go away. I just want to be left alone."

"No," said the voice.

"Really, go. You're the last person I want to talk to right now."

"I know I am. But I'm not leaving." Rose wiped her face with her sleeve as she turned towards her pursuer.

"Zin, are you always this annoying?" She was surprised to see that Zin wasn't smiling like she usually did. Instead, she looked cross. Serious. It startled Rose.

"To most people, probably." Zin shrugged. "But I am who I am." She gave a sad little smile, her eyes piercing into Rose's. It was like Zin was a completely different person from the annoyingly happy-go-lucky girl Rose had first met. "I… I overheard what you did… the note to Jannah."

"Please, Zin…"

"No, Rose, listen. Please. I'm not mad at you. I just want to talk."

"Talk? About what? How disappointed you are in me? How you can't believe I could do something like this? Because if that's what you want to talk about, don't bother. I already know and I feel horrible as it is."

"No. I want to share with you my story."

Rose blinked. "Your story?"

"Yeah. I haven't told anyone, not even Jannah. You see, I wasn't kidnapped by the First Order like most of the others. I was about five when I joined."

Rose was stunned. "You joined by choice?"

"Sort of. You see, when I was a toddler, my mother abandoned me and my father. I can remember bits and pieces of her, but otherwise she didn't mean anything to me. My father considered me to be a burden. He took care of me, but it was more out of obligation than love. I tried to do what I could to make him happy, but because my existence prevented him from doing the things that he wanted to do, he didn't care that much.

"One day, we were at this small village, and there was a festival going on. I remember being really excited and wanted to see everything. My father told me that I was old enough to look around by myself and I should go and have fun. I was astounded; it was the first time I could remember getting a compliment from him. Plus I felt like a big girl; this was a huge responsibility, and my father trusted me! He told me to be back at the transport in a couple of hours. I so desperately wanted to prove to him that I was dependable and not a nuisance, so I excitedly took off, constantly checking the time to make sure I wouldn't miss the transport.

"I made it there a few minutes early. My father wasn't there, which surprised me, but I knew he'd be coming soon. So I waited. I waited and waited. After an hour, I wondered if my father had lost track of time itself. The transport seemed to be late as well. Maybe I got the time wrong? As I was starting to panic, someone who had been watching me approached and asked what I was doing. I told him, and he informed me that the last transport for the day had left a couple of hours ago. When I gave him a description of my father, he said he saw him get on that last transport. My father lied to me so he could ditch me and get away. I had been abandoned, and I was alone in a strange town with strange people."

"That's terrible!"

"Yeah, it was. For the first couple of days, I was so scared. I'd hide between shops and when no one was looking, I'd sneak out to claim any scraps of food I found. I quickly realized that being scared wasn't going to solve my problems. I had to do something, and I wanted to prove to my father that he had lost someone very special, even though I knew I'd never actually see him again. Instead of being shy around people, I tried to help them. I was like a town's vigilante, making sure people didn't steal or children didn't get separated from their families. It was all small stuff, but apparently it drew attention. Someone must have been observing my situation and reported it to the First Order, because Phasma came herself."

"Phasma?"

"Yup. I remember watching her ship land just outside of town. She walked towards me with authority, her metal helmet gleaming in the sunlight, and I was in complete awe. It was obvious she was someone of high rank. At first, I thought she was just passing by, but when she stopped and turned to me, I was perplexed. The first thought that came to my mind was am I in trouble? Did I do something wrong? Then she spoke, her voice hard, but cool. She informed me that there were rumors of a homeless girl who had been abandoned in this town, and asked if it was me. I was too intimated to speak, so I just nodded. She then told me that from what she heard, I had the potential of becoming an excellent stormtrooper and asked if I wanted to join the First Order. Even though it sounded tempting, I declined. I had heard rumors that they were bad people, and I didn't want to be one of them. She didn't give up and explained to me that the reason the First Order has a negative conception was because the Resistance was persistent on fighting the good the First Order was trying to achieve. The main mission of the First Order was to preserve order and peace throughout the galaxy. The bad people were the ones fighting the system, and if they won, the whole galaxy would be in chaos. Joining the First Order would make me part of a team, a family, that would prevent that from happening.

"As soon as I heard the word 'family,' and the thought I'd be working with this remarkable woman, I was sold. I didn't see Phasma much after I joined the First Order, but I was forever grateful. She gave me a home, a purpose, a sense of belonging. I worked hard every day to show my gratitude. I didn't play with the others. Instead, every free chance I got I would train to sharpen my skills. Eventually I became one of the best shooters. All I wanted to do was prove to everyone, and myself, that I was useful because I never wanted to be abandoned again. I did fight in many battles, so there is blood on my hands, but from my perspective, it was the bad guys I was fighting.

"When rumors of a new Jedi surfaced, we considered them to be nothing more than rumors. Then starkiller base was destroyed. Then Phasma was killed. Then the Jedi killed Snoke."

"That's not what happened."

"I know that. But that's what we were told. With how quickly Kylo Ren came to power, we all quietly assumed it wasn't the Jedi that did the deed, but him."

"For the first time since my father left, I felt lost. Scared. The person closest to a mother to me was dead, and everything was in disarray. It felt worse than being abandoned by my parents. That's when I started taking a hard look at the First Order, and realized I wasn't fighting the bad guys. I was the bad guys. For the next year, I kept my head down, going through the motions and avoiding fights if I could. It was difficult going from one of the top shooters to not fighting all together without raising suspicions. Somehow, I did it.

"After the fall of the First Order, it became a different type of chaos. Now we had no direction and we were fighting for order amongst ourselves. When I heard a rumor that some stormtroopers were able to escape from the corpse of the First Order, I had been beyond ready to get away. Jannah was my life saver."

"I didn't know that."

"Like I said, I haven't told anyone this, until now. It's not something I'm proud of."

"As much as I appreciate you sharing your story, why are you telling me?"

"There is more to us than first impressions. When you first saw me, I could tell you didn't care for my upbeat personality. Am I right?"

"Well… yeah."

"And what do you think of me now?"

"You've been through a lot. I guess I see you in a different light."

"Right?" Zin frowned. "When I heard what you did, that note, it scared me at first. My first impression of you was someone I could trust. Even Finn didn't want to believe it. The thing is, you didn't do that to be mean or vindictive, right?"

Rose shook her head "Maybe at first, but if I could go back in time, I wouldn't have written that stupid note."

"Exactly! You're a nice person. Finn knows that, Jannah knows that, and I do, too. I trust you."

"But how can you trust me?"

"Because in your case, my first impression was accurate. We all make mistakes. What's important is whether or not we learn from them."

"Thanks, Zin. I…" A look of horror emerged onto Zin's face, as a low growl interrupted from behind her. When Rose turned around, she saw a large creature about 2 meters in height. It'd be even taller if it stood up on his hind paws. Rusty gray fur was matted to its skin, and its mouth hung open revealing an array of jagged, hungry teeth. Behind the creature, Rose could see several more pairs of eager, golden eyes. She froze.

"Zin… you said you were a good shooter. Please tell me you have your blaster."

Zin's voice shook, "I left it at the campsite."


	22. Chapter 22: Kefolves (Rose & Finn Arc)

As Finn exited Jannah's tent he was greeted by the sunshine of a cloudless day. The morning busyness had calmed down as everyone had broken up into their daily groups. Jannah's crew, who were known as Company 77, divided themselves between the different groups. The night before, she gave Finn the basic outline of their day-to-day activities, which Finn thought was an excellent way to get people rehabilitated and comfortable with their newly founded independence while sharping their skills and learning new ones. Usually the physical and survival skills were easy, as those were drilled into their brains for most of their lives. It was their social skills and discovery of their individualism that would be more challenging. As he walked past one of the groups, he overheard one guy exclaim, "wait, we don't shoot first and ask questions later? That's crazy!" He was definitely going to have a hard time adjusting!

Up ahead, Lando and C-3PO were making their way back towards the campsite. Jannah had explained that Lando was in charge of some of the more advanced recruits. Their job was to come up with a plan on rescuing more ex-troopers while trying to remain as inconspicuous as possible. From what Finn understood, it had been fairly successful…so far. It was only natural that suspicions were starting to arise. They hadn't even tackled some of the more difficult missions yet. From his experience being on the Finalizer, Finn was certain that there were plenty of troopers there who would want to join their cause. However, there would be numerous obstacles to encounter, many of which had advanced significantly since Finn's departure.

Finn and Lando waved to each other while C-3PO slowly made his way to the few stormtroopers that had isolated themselves from the other groups. That would be one of his next missions, once he figured out what was going on with Rose.

Finn glanced up and could see Zin talking to Rose in the distance. Good. Maybe she could knock some sense into her. Or drive her nuts. Either or, what Rose did was inexcusable. Just thinking about it made him angry. But Jannah was right, this wasn't the Rose he knew. There was something going on with her.

Just then, he saw something move just behind them in the woods. At first, he thought it had been the wind, or his eyes playing tricks on him. When he saw the girls jump back, he knew it hadn't been his imagination.

"Oh dear," said Jannah, making Finn jump. With her bow clenched tightly in her hands, she began running. Finn joined her.

"What are they?"

"Kefolves. They are native to the planet here. We made peace with them when we first arrived, promising we wouldn't go near their territory."

"And let me guess, Rose and Zin are in their territory."

"You got it."

"So what are they going to do…" Finn trailed off. He really didn't want to know the answer.

"Zin! Rose!" Jannah called. The two girl turned, their faces filled with a mixture of relief and fear. About five of the Kefolves had emerged from the woods, steadily moving closer to them. One of the Kefolves, who was much larger than the others, and presumably their pack leader, turned his attention towards Jannah.

"You broke your promise," he growled.

"You know we have new recruits all the time. They didn't know this was your territory."

"Then that should be the first thing you tell them. Or not. Food has been becoming harder to come by with you lot consuming more of our resources. We could take this as a compromise." He turned towards the girls and his pack, a sticky pink substance dripping from his mouth.

"We told you that if you needed anything we were here to help. Our numbers have grown, but not enough to significantly diminish your food supply."

"We don't need any more help from you humans. All we asked was for this bit of forested land and to be left alone. This planet used to be all ours before that monstrosity arrived." He nodded towards the remains of the Death Star. "We have been more than compromising."

"I understand and agree. What I don't get is why your food sources have been diminishing. We haven't been hunting in your area."

The lead Kefolve shrugged. "I don't know either."

"Then let them go. They meant no harm, and we will leave you alone again."

"I don't think so." The Kefolve turned back towards the girls, while the pack resumed their meal tactics, this time moving around Rose and Zin to prevent them from running away.

Jannah raised her bow, pointing it towards the leader. Finn gently put his hand on it and gave it a little push down.

"Hold on, let me try something." Finn closed his eyes. He hoped his practice on Ajan Kloss would work. It had to.

"We kind of need help, now!" Rose shouted, her voice shaking.

Though he couldn't use the Force like Rey, he was still sensitive to its divine power. He had discovered that he could use it to feel the emotions and desires of the living things around him, like a plant's joyous satisfaction after a good rain or the pleasure a zymod felt after eating a juicy insect. If he could tap into the Kefolve and feel what he was feeling, perhaps he could find a way to convince him to let Rose and Zin go without any further conflict. What was the hope, anyways.

Finn knelt down on the ground, closed his eyes, and began to search. He could feel Jannah's uneasiness, but her trust in him was strong. Let's not let her down. He shifted away from what was clearly the fear of Rose and Zin, and instead directed his energy towards a wide range of emotions coming from one particular Kefolve. The one he was looking for.

He was surprised to find the Kefolve was indeed famished. The Kefolve had been eating very little in order to make sure the rest of the pack was well nourished and able to keep up their strength. Finn could feel his frustration, his anger dangerously high. At the same time, he was sad. Sad that their moon wasn't completely their own anymore after years of being the dominant species. Sad that they had been betrayed. Just having Rose and Zin nearby was enough to set him off. Finn opened his eyes and stood up.

"You're name is Jaha, correct?"

The Kefolve turned around. "How did you know that?"

"Magic. Look, Jaha, we want to make a deal with you."

"I'm done making deals!"

"I know. I know you're angry, and I know you feel like we betrayed you. But I think this deal you will like." He glanced over at Jannah, silently mouthing if he should go on. She nodded.

"If you let my friends go, we will share our food with you. AT the time same, we'll try to find out why food has become scarce. You have been kind enough to let us stay here, so it's only fair that we help you."

Jaha turned to his pack and grunted. They all growling; it was hard to tell if it was approval or not.

"It is only a deal if you help us now. We don't want any tricks."

"That is fair," said Jannah. "I'll talk to my people and we will start work immediately. All I ask is that you please let the rest of the Kefolves know not to attack us, or we will be unable to help you."

"It's a deal." Jaha marched back into the woods, with his pack trailing behind.

Zin fell to her knees. "I was totally unprepared. I have never not had my blaster on me before." Jannah walked over to Zin and put a hand on her shoulder.

"It's an adjustment. You're fine. Now let's go back to the campsite. You could use some rest." Zin shakily got onto her feet and as the two walked past Finn, Jannah smiled "You were amazing." Finn waited until they were out of earshot before approaching Rose.

"Rose, what's been going on?"

Rose held her head down, avoiding eye contact. "I knew you were going to ask me that. I just don't know how to answer."

"What does that mean? You've been acting strange ever since we defeated the First Order."

"I know."

"Ok… care to explain why? I know nothing. I need a little somewhere here."

"I guess I'm just… confused. I don't know where I fit in, or where I should go. When the war was going on, I knew where my place was, and I knew what to do. If I didn't, Paige was always by my side to guide me. Now without her, and without the war, I just feel… lost." She looked up and began waving her arms frantically. "Not that I'm not glad the war is over! I am, really! I just… I don't know… Everyone has a purpose, a mission, and I don't know where I fit in."

"That's still no excuse for what you did to Jannah."

"I know." Finn sighed. As disappointed as he was with her, he couldn't stop a grin from emerging on his face. This was the Rose he had come to know and admire. Things were finally starting to make more sense.

"You got us, Rose. I wish I knew this was how you've been feeling. I guess I've been too absorbed in my own trainings, and then getting ready to come here, I didn't realize how much you've been struggling."

"I didn't want to trouble you. Really," she quickly added.

"I know. Just promise me a couple of things."

"Anything!" she said, her voice filled with relief.

"Don't hide how you're feeling from me anymore. Ok? If you need to talk, no matter how busy I am, I'll listen."

"I'll do that."

"Good. The final thing,…no more threating notes, even empty ones. EVER."

Rose blushed, clearly embarrassed, "Trust me, I will never do that again!"


	23. Chapter 23: The Helmet (Rey & Ben Arc)

As they journeyed to Tatooine for their next mission, Rey finally finished putting together the lightsaber she had started back on Ajan Kloss. Well, it was almost finished. Going through the scraps that they had left, she couldn't find anything that would constitute as a suitable power field conductor. Fortunately, they were going to Mos Eisley first; Ben had informed her that there was a junkyard on the edge of the spaceport. Scavengers would loot through the scraps and resell them at markets throughout the port. She was sure to find what she was looking for there.

Meanwhile, Ben had his own mysterious mission. He wouldn't give Rey any of the details, only that it was within Mos Eisley. She felt disappointed; the main purpose for visiting Tatooine to begin with was to return Luke…well, Anakin's, and Lei's lightsabers back to Luke's old home at the Lars moisture farm. Neither she nor Ben felt comfortable keeping them; these lightsabers were from their former masters and were never really their own. Out of respect, it felt only right to return them to the Skywalker family. Though this was Ben's blood family, she had secretly adopted Luke and Leia as her own. If Ben couldn't do it, she felt worthy enough for the task.

Rey gathered together the remaining loot neither of them needed and then proceeded to join Ben in the cockpit. She knew they would be approaching Tatooine soon.

"Were you able to build your lightsaber?"

"Not quite. Missing one piece. I'm sure I can find it on Mos Eisley."

"Probably. When we get there, let the Force guide you. Just like with the kyber crystal, your lightsaber is a part of you, and the Force will help you complete it. It will be easy to find the remaining piece you need by clearing your mind and staying focused."

"Got it."

When they got clearance to land in one of the hangers, Ben, Rey, and BB-8 entered the bustling port. The air was dry and familiar; it reminded Rey of Niima Outpost, only Mos Eisley was much larger with a lot more activity. She had never seen so many Toydarians, who appeared to be the primary vendors. She had only met a couple back on Jakku and found them to be only slightly better than the Crolutes.

Closing her eyes, Rey concentrated on the last piece she needed.

Focused on it.

Cleared her mind.

It was here.

It wasn't far.

She opened her eyes. "Got it."

"Good."

BB-8 chirped cheerfully as Rey made a beeline through the crowds. The closer she got to the individual who had the last piece she so desperately needed, the more anxious she became. She could feel her heart pumping harder as her apprehension rapidly increased.

Was it him?

No, not him.

What about him?

No, not him either.

Or her.

He was close, though.

Finally, she found one of the Toydarians buzzing slightly off the ground in front of a booth with an array of items for sale.

It was him, she was sure of it!

Taking a deep breath, while trying to make herself not seem too excited, she cautiously approached him.

"Excuse me?" she said, a little too timidly. He glanced up with skepticism. "I was wondering if you have a power field conductor."

"What's it for?"

"I don't really think that's any of your business. Do you have one?"

"What if I do?" he snarled, as he looked at her up and down. "How would you expect to pay for it? They don't come cheap."

"I have credits. Now do you have one, or should I take my business elsewhere?" It was risky to challenge him as she knew he had the exact part she needed. Hopefully the pressure would be enough for him to stop playing around, but not enough for him to shoo her away.

"I do have one. Just one. That will be… two thousand credits."

"Two thousand credits? That's outrageous!"

"If you can't pay, you can go look somewhere else, as you said. I'm sure I can find another buyer."

"I truly doubt it."

"Oh?"

"I'm a scavenger. Well, formerly. I know how much the materials cost to make the power field conductor I am looking for. No one will pay two thousand credits for it. Even half that is outrageous. Please don't take me as a fool." It was a slight bluff. She didn't know the exact costs in materials, but she did know he was overcharging, and did not in the least bit appreciate his pathetic attempts of trying to swindler her.

"A scavenger? Looking for a power field conductor?" He seemed intrigued now. Why the sudden change? Better not question it yet and see where it goes.

"That's right."

"You are not the Jedi scavenger I've heard so much about, by any chance?" That would explain it.

"What if I am?"

The shopkeeper shook his head. "I'd say I'm the fool. Let's say, 800 credits?"

"That's more like it. Instead of credits…" Rey put the bag of loot on his table. "Could any of these items cover the price?"

"Let me see." As he went through the bag examining its contents, BB-8 gave Rey a little nudge.

"I'm almost done," she whispered to the astromech. He gave her another nudge. "BB-8, hold on." He gave a sad beep.

"Most of this is junk. It can cover, I'd say, about half."

"Half is fine." She felt fairly certain that she was still being ripped off, but at this point she just wanted the power field conductor and to move on.

After the exchange, she turned around to Ben. "Ok, I got it…" but he wasn't there. BB-8 bumped her again, this time harder.

"Ow!" The astromech beeped annoyingly, and then quickly rolled away. "Where are you going?" Rey asked as she grabbed the empty bag and the conductor. The droid took her through the crowds, back towards the ship, but then turned right down a narrow ally. It stopped as quickly as it had turned, making Rey almost trip over the astromech.

"BB-8, what is it…" Up ahead, she saw that Ben was talking to another merchant. For a moment, if felt like her breath had escaped her. In the merchant's hand was Kylo Ren's old helmet, the red cracks glowing eerily in the dim light of the alleyway. What was going on?

"There has to be a perfectly good reason," Rey told herself out loud. She shouldn't jump to conclusions. She told Ben she trusted him, and she didn't want to turn that promise into a lie.

After the exchange between Ben and the merchant, he turned, the helmet held tightly in his gloved hand. Upon seeing her, he picked up his pace in her direction. Instinctively, she took a few steps back.

"It's not what it seems," he tried to reassure her.

"I'm sure… you have a very good reason… for buying that."

"I do. There are, of course, many rumors that I am dead. Which is true, the part of me that was Kylo Ren is dead. However, if we are going infiltrate any more ships from the First Order, then Kylo Ren will need to return. In appearance only, though. Just enough to cause a distraction. I still paid for the helmet, even if it was my own. Took a little persuading… but I didn't harm him, I swear!"

Rey nodded. "I… do believe you. I'd be lying if I said I didn't jump to other conclusions. That makes perfect sense."

"Rey, I…"

"I got my last piece. I'm going back to the Falcon to finish putting it together before going to the Lars Homestead. You sure you don't want to come?"

"After what I've done to my family, I don't feel worthy of their respect. Besides, there's something I want to do here."

"Will you tell me eventually what you're doing?"

"Yes, when you get back. It's nothing bad, I promise."

"Ok. Come, BB-8." And Rey hurriedly headed back to the Falcon, eager to finally finish her lightsaber.

* * *

_Author's Notes:_

_Sorry for the delay in posting! I kind of went overboard with my ideas and I've reached a point where I'm going to start to wrap things up (I still have plans to write a few more Reylo chapters, though!) If anyone is interested in continuing it once I'm done with my last couple of chapters, please let me know. Otherwise, thanks so much for reading! :)_


	24. Chapter 24: Chalmun's Cantina (R&B Arc)

He felt foolish for what he planned to do next, but at the same time it felt like something he had to do, without Rey. He wasn't sure if she would understand. Chalmun's Cantina was where his father, uncle, Chewie, and Obi-Wan Kenobi, the great Jedi master of his namesake, first met. Even after the fall of the Galactic Empire, it was still a place his father and Chewie visited often when they wanted to get away from everyday life. Ben had been to Mos Eisley plenty of times but had never been allowed in the cantina. This is where it all started.

As he entered, it looked similar to how he had imagined it. A small band was playing music in a barely lit corner while seedy looking patrons were going about their less than legal businesses. The tables and booths were old and grungy. Cleanliness was clearly not something the cantina took pride in, but there was no surprise there. He wondered which booth his predecessors first met, or if it was even still here.

Ben took a seat at the bar. The droid who was the acting bartender approached him.

"What will it be, sir?"

"Do you have any recollections of orders from past patrons?"

"Of course. I keep records of everything. Which patron would you like me to look up, sir?"

"Han Solo."

"Ah yes. He was a regular here. His most common order was a Tatooni Junko, though Solo preferred it to be quite a bit stronger than the original recipe. Would you like that, sir?"

"Yes."

"Right away, sir." He couldn't explain it, but trying one of his father's beloved drinks made him feel like he was making an effort to get to know him better, in a sort of strange and twisted way. Alcohol had never been something that interested him, but he wanted to give it a chance and see why his father liked it.

"Did you say 'Han Solo'?" said a rough voice from behind him. Ben turned to see an annoyed looking Caarite, his arms folded, his snout scrunched in, his attire matching the shabby environment of the cantina perfectly.

"I did."

"Solo owes me money. Where is he?"

"He's dead."

"Dead," the Carrite scoffed. "How convenient. He is not dead. He just doesn't want to pay what he is due because he's a no good rotten swindler."

Ben turned his attention back towards the bar. "I won't argue with you there, but I know he's dead. I saw him die."

"Oh? You saw him die? Then how did he die, prey tell?"

"I killed him with my lightsaber." Before the Carrite could respond, another patron intervened.

"I heard Han Solo was killed by his son, Kylo Ren."

"That would be me."

"But Kylo Ren is dead, isn't he?"

Ben's only response was to casually hold up the helmet. Neither patron had a verbal retort. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to be left alone." He could hear the Caarite and the other patron shuffle away quietly as the droid placed the drink in front of Ben.

"Here you go, sir." Ben promptly put the credits down on the sticky counter and then took a sip from the mug. Ug! It tasted terrible! How did his father drink this stuff?

"Not to your liking, sir?"

"No, it's fine. Just an… acquired taste." Ben took another sip, larger than the first. He could feel it burning down his throat. Surely this was not something people drank purely for the taste; it was so vile! And the after taste wasn't much better.

However, he wasn't going to give up. He wasn't going to leave until the mug had been properly emptied.

About a quarter of the way through his drink, he started to notice its affects. The noise of the cantina became a distant chatter, as if someone turned down the sound. A few more sips and he began to feel light-headed. And happy. It had been so long since he truly felt happy. But was this true happiness? Maybe this is why his father loved this drink. Did that mean Ben made him unhappy? Or his mom?

He took another sip.

Nah, he probably just drank this because it made him feel good. Like it made Ben feel good. He had been worrying about something… what was it again?

It probably didn't matter. He took another sip.

Who cares if something was bothering him before. All that mattered right now was he felt happy. He heard a loud noise of something falling on the floor. Was it him? No, he was still sitting on the booth at the bar. At least he thought he was. He wasn't quite sure of anything anymore.

Over halfway through.

Was someone calling his name? Was Rey here?

No, no one was calling for him. He took another sip.

"Ben?" No, that was definitely someone calling his name. But it was a male voice, so it wasn't Rey. There was something about the voice he didn't like.

"You ok there?" No. He wasn't ok. He was fine until this person showed up. Go away!

"You don't look so good. I think you've had enough."

"No!" Ben snapped, as he pulled his arm away from the voice who had tried to grab at him. He downed the rest of the beverage.

"Uh… does Rey know you're here?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Where is she?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know?" the voice scoffed. "Or is it you just can't think straight because you're drunk?"

"The thinking part." The voice gave an exasperated sigh.

"I'm not unfamiliar with my friends drinking too much, not that I'd consider you a friend, but I can at least help you out. Come on, we need to get you some fresh air."

"Let me finish my drink!"

"You already did, Ben." The voice helped Ben get to his feet.

"What's that?" asked the voice, as he bent over towards the floor. Ben could feel his legs wobble. "Woah, there, keep it steady!" The voice grabbed his shoulder and helped him walk towards the door.

"I don't like your voice."

"The feeling is mutual, trust me. Come on, easy does it." As they stepped outside, Ben could feel the combination of the sunlight and the alcohol in his stomach mixing into an unpleasant sensation. He pushed himself away from the voice and moved only a few feet away before he heaved on the ground.

The voice sighed again. "Great, but I was expecting that. You're not much of a drinker, are you?"

"No," gasped Ben, as he tried to catch his breath.

"Why did you get something so strong then?"

"My dad."

"Han Solo?"

"Yeah, him. It was his drink. I wanted to try it. I miss him."

"Hate to tell you this, but if you miss him than you probably shouldn't have killed him. You ok there to walk again?"

"Yeah." Ben stumbled towards the voice as he put his arm around him again. "I can still miss him, even if I killed him. I wish I didn't."

"Yeah, well, there are a lot of people I wish you didn't kill, but that's not going to bring them back to life now, is it?"

"I've killed others?"

The voice gave a sad groan, "You are so drunk."

The two headed through the port. Ben didn't know where they were going. He saw blobs of colors bouncing about in a way that made him feel ill again. He found staring at the ground or closing his eyes kept the nausea at bay.

When they got to the outskirts of Mos Eisley, the voice helped him sit on the ground.

"I'm going to get some water. Sit up and stay there. I'll be right back. Oh," he dropped something by Ben's feet. "I believe this is yours." As the owner of the voice left, Ben picked up the item he had dropped. His helmet. No, Kylo Ren's helmet. Why did he have this again?

"Drink this," said the voice, as he returned with a couple of buckets of water. Ben drank through one of the buckets, splashing water everywhere. "You are such a mess."

"How long will I be like this?"

"I don't know."

"How long will you be you?"

"Just keep drinking the water."

"Poe? Ben?" asked a concerned female voice. It was familiar.

"Oh good, Rey, you're here. You can have this back now." He left the voice give him a little shove.

Rey leaned over Ben.

"What happened to him?"

"He got himself drunk at the cantina. Something about getting his father's drink."

"Han Solo came here?"

"Of course. This is where Han, Luke, Chewbacca, and Obi-Wan Kenobi first met. You didn't know that?"

"No, I didn't. I mean, I knew this is where Luke grew up, but I didn't know much more than that. It's starting to make sense now."

"Rey, is that you?" asked Ben, as he reached out a hand and gently touched her face.

"Yeah, it's me."

"Good. Rey, why are you so nice to me?"

"I guess because I could see the good in you, and I believed you could turn. And you did. I really wished you would have told me this is what you were going to do."

"I'm sorry, but I had to do this."

"I don't quite understand, but you can explain more when you are sober." Rey lifted up the other bucket of water towards him, but Ben pushed it away. He felt full. His stomach could take no more. "You need to drink more water."

"No."

"Ben, please…"

"Rey?"

"Yes?"

"I love you." Then Ben passed out.


End file.
